.

I’m on the cold, wooden floor in the living room by the hall closet. I’m still in my pajamas, and I only have about an hour and a half to get ready for school. I was going through Renee's old boxes full of my dads things, hoping to find my dad's Volvo papers, when I came across a picture of me and Charlie that I forgot had even been taken.

I was 13, and it was taken a few hours before he died. My mom thought it was such a great sunny day that we should all go on a picnic. So we packed up the Volvo, my dad's pride and joy back then, and we headed out to First Beach down in La Push. We all sat on the driftwood and used the ice chest as our picnic table. We talked about me “inheriting” my dad's Volvo, which I was very happy about. We talked about going on vacation to Arizona to visit my grandparents in the summer. We even talked about boys, which for Charlie was a huge deal. He never really knew how to handle those talks with me. But I guess no father really wants to hear who their little girl is crushing on.

That's when the rain started to fall heavily around us, and Renee was trying to grab everything quickly before the weather got worse. My dad and I just sat there laughing, letting the rain drench us. Mom gave up on trying to save our picnic and grabbed her disposable camera instead.

::::Flashback::::

“Okay! Say 'cheese'!” Mom yelled at us, trying to get our attention. I jumped behind Charlie, still giggling, and put my arms around his neck.

“Whoa, beetle! Don't choke me.”

“Dad, what did I tell you about that nickname!? Its embarrassing,” I snap at him. I am afraid of beetles, and he had to go and nickname me the one thing I fear.

“So, so sorry, Miss Isabella. I apologize,” he says sarcastically with a western accent.

I try to squeeze him as tight as I can, wrapping my arms around him firmly. “That’s even worse. My name is Bella!”

“Bella! Charlie! Hurry I need to take this picture before we all get sick! Say 'cheese'!” My mom shouts at us.

“CHEESE!”

::::Present::::

Charlie is wearing his favorite red flannel t-shirt, faded jeans, and old brown boots. His hair is a wavy mess of salt and pepper, and I always thought his mustache was slightly too big for his face. I look really scrawny with my long brown hair that flowed all the way to my waist. My shorts hung on for dear life since I was the size of a toothpick, and I had on my favorite Forks Police Chief shirt. My dad had gotten it for me on the ‘Take Your Kids to Work’ day. We are both making a silly face with my arms around his neck as I'm sticking out my tongue, and his eyes are crossed. The rain is falling down fast in front of us, so our eyes are slightly shut. I see a wet spot form on the picture and realize that I have been crying. I set the picture down on the floor, grab the box, and stick it back in the closet. I stand there staring at the picture, debating if I really want to take it or not. I know if I take it, I will look at it all the time and cry my eyes out. But if I don't, I know I will regret it and wish I had taken it to keep part of him with me. I wipe the tears from my eyes and bend down to pick it up. I start treading for my room where I tack it on my cork board.

“I miss you, Daddy,” I whispered to the picture as a knock came at the front door. I open it to see Jacob with his gorgeous smile gleaming at me. I still can't get over how handsome he is. His faded dark wash jeans cling to his athletic body, and his forest green zip-up hoodie brings out the little hints of green in his eyes that are hidden beneath the brown. I smile at him, even though I feel butterflies in the depths of my stomach.

“Hey, babe. You ready? Never mind,” he says, clearly noticing that I am still in my pajamas.

“Just give me five minutes?” I ask as he sits on the couch.

We've been dating for 3 days now, which isn't a lot, but I've already fallen for him, unequivocally. I never expected something like this to happen; I wasn't at all planning on it. No matter how cliché it sounds, I feel that he completes me. Just the way he looks at me makes me feel like I’m the only one he sees and the only one he wants. He makes me nervous sometimes; this whole situation does a little bit. There are doubts lingering in my mind about why he really is going out with me, since he's never noticed me before. I push them aside before I can really evaluate the circumstances though. I quickly throw on some jeans, a grey tank, a purple zip up jacket, and some black boots Alice had gotten me. My hair was rebelling against me, so I grabbed my black beret and put it on, grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.

“Okay, I'm ready,” I say, smiling at him.

We ended up taking his motorcycle, which made me excited and nauseous every time. Alice and Jasper were smitten with each other all day. Ali pretends that she has no idea what I'm talking about every time I bring it up. Jacob disappeared during lunch, so I didn't get to see him for the rest of the day, which passed all too quickly. Jacob texted me, saying he had something to do for football and that he wanted to make it up to me. He invited me, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett to a bonfire party down at First Beach. I haven't been there since my father’s death, so I was skeptical before accepting. I asked if Alice could take me to Port Angeles to get something to wear tonight. She accepted. Something was wrong with her the whole time we were shopping, but I waited until we were all done and on our way back to her house before I questioned her about it.

“Alice, are you ok?” I ask. She’s been silent for most of the drive, which isn't like her at all. Her hands are grasping the steering wheel tightly, and her eyes are firmly fixed on the road. All I can hear is the faint sound of the radio and the hum of her car as she shifts in her seat and clears her throat.

“I think he's seeing someone,” she answers quietly, still in a daze.

“Who, Jasper?” I hope not. She talks about him non stop. I know she really likes him.

“No, not Jasper. My dad,” she says numbly just as she turns into her driveway.

“What makes you think that?” I ask sympathetically. That didn't sound like Dr. Cullen. He never dates. She turns off the engine and sits there in a complete daze, with thoughts of past memories most likely taking a hold of her.

“I thought he would never get over mom,” she states, totally oblivious to the question I had just asked.

Charlotte Cullen was a petite and delicate woman with curly raven colored hair. She was always spirited and passionate towards her family. Alice and her mom were very close, and I envied her for it. Dr. Cullen and his wife always looked at each other with fire and passion, as if it was the first time they met all over again.

I had spent the night at the Cullens' for Emmett and Alice's 14th birthday. We were very rambunctious and raced each other downstairs early the next morning to start decorating for the party. We stopped short at the foot of the stairs when soft sobs came from the living room. Dr. Cullen was seated on his brown leather chair, hunched over and holding a piece of paper in his hands. We found out later that their mom had left them for Dr. Cullen's younger brother, Peter, who she had been having an affair with for 2 years. Alice never talks about it. She still holds a lot of hate towards her.

“But how do you know? Did he tell you? Did you see him with someone?” I still doubt that he was out with someone. It's just not like him. She abruptly unbuckles her self and turns to face me.

“Jesus! Bella, what is this, twenty-one-fucking-questions!?” she shouted at me. I don't blame her though. I probably should've just waited for her to tell me herself, instead of asking her questions. She turns again to face the front as she holds her face in her hands.

“I’m sorry, Bells. I’m just mad.” I reach over and gently rub her arm.

“I know, Ali. It's alright. I’m sorry for bombarding you like that. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,” I assured her. She removes her hands from her face and turns towards me.

“Dad got home early last night, and I found him asleep on the couch. I expected him not to be back until next week. I didn't think much of it until he got a text message on his phone, which I should have never read,” she paused as she gently tucked some hair behind her ear before continuing.

“It was from some lady named Rosalie McCarty. She was thanking him for the wonderful time she had with him in Seattle and how much she ‘adored’ the Porsche! My fucking car! Isn't that disgusting!?” she huffed as she crossed her arms like a 5 year old.

“Alice maybe you should talk with him. Have you told Emmett?”

“No way. He will go ape shit. I am not saying a word. No, thank you.” She grabs her purse and steps out of the car. I quickly follow with the shopping bags in hand.

“Lets just not talk about it right now, okay?” she asks as she locks her Porsche and comes around to stand next to me.

“Okay,” I say as we make our way to the front door.

Alice knocks on the door over and over again as she curses under her breath.

“Emmett! Open the fucking door!” Alice yells.

“Where’s your key?”

“Emmett fucking lost it,” she says as she starts making her way to the backdoor.” “EMMETT! YOU FAT GORILLA!”

I laugh at how childish they both can be at times. I set the bags down on the ground and knock a couple of times. I hear movement, and the door starts to open, so I reach down to grab the bags.

“Geeze Emmett it's...” I look up and am met by a boy, who is clearly not Emmett. His face has a bruise below his bottom lip and a few stitches above his left eye. He raises his right arm, which is covered in a green cast and moves his long fingers through his bronze hair and out of his eyes. Holy shit! His eyes are a dazzling, emerald green that are so disturbingly beautiful that I can't find the strength to look away. He looked so sad. He smiles at me as I try to remember what I am doing.

“Emmett's on the phone. Do you need him?” His voice is smooth as he smiles at me.

“Who are you?” I feel like such an idiot. “Nevermind. No, I’m actually with his sister Alice.”

I say this just as Alice comes to the front door and stands behind the mysterious boy.

He steps aside to let me in then goes into the living room where I notice Jasper. I say hello and follow Alice, who is already half way up the stairs. I go into her room and set the bags down on her bed.

“Who was that?” I ask her, trying not to give away too much of my curiosity.

“That’s Edward. He just moved here from Seattle. He's staying with Jasper, who's his cousin.”

I nod, wanting to get off the subject so I don't ask anymore questions. Alice turns to me and smiles.

“Oh, and he's coming with us to the bonfire tonight.”