A/N: This is a trial chapter, folks! I wasn't sure if there was any more static for this story, seeing as the Bella/Emmett scene isn't all that popular to begin with. I have the rest of this chapter in my laptop, I just wanted to see if anyone was still reading this. Review.

I awoke slowly as the first warnings of 6 AM came in through the bus' windows, which had zero insulation and even thinner shades- the road was bumpy and uneven for the last two hours, but what did I really expect? This was the third transfer during the last 48 hours of travel and a part of me regretted not taking Alice up on her offer.

I could feel her watching me, those tiny eyes that usually were hopeful and cheery suddenly looked broke and disappointed- like I was breaking up our friendship or something. "Are you sure, Bella? You're really not making any sense to me right now." There was a watery edge to her voice, but I pretended not to hear it.

"Alice- seriously! Stop worrying about me already. I'll come back." I packed only two bags, which was most of the bare necessities that I arrived here with a few months back, and perhaps she had noticed that. "You think I'd leave my collection of Uggs or all of my vinyl records if I was leaving for good?" I tried to lighten the mood, but she barely even smiled. Ever since that last encounter with those foreign people, things had changed. Even someone as happily oblivious as Ali caught on.

She was bugging me since early that morning when she learned of my temporary leave to use a portion of her parent's air miles for my trip. I didn't want them to know when or where I boarded or landed, and I didn't want another handout from the Montebellos, ever. From here on out, anything I had or wanted I would get for myself and I would do it the right way. "It's gonna take over two days to get you home-"

"I don't like to fly, remember?" I said pointedly, feeling a little testy all of a sudden. "Besides, it'll give me downtime to catch up on all my reading. Stop worrying so much." I nudged her shoulder before giving her a tight hug, not wanting her to know that this was, if my plan went accordingly, the actual goodbye. She was never good at goodbyes, I was just trying to be a good friend and save her from it.

It took another two hours to get to my stop, and I was too disappointed for words when a small hoard stood a mere feet away from me, some somber looks on their faces. At one point or another, they had been my friends- sleepovers, football games, hours of gossiping… but when I shuffled through the bus stop's exit, they didn't even acknowledge me. Like I hadn't ever existed in their lives, I just walked on by and kept going on my way. I didn't waste thirty bucks on a slow cab, so I just decided to walk my way home instead. It was a fair ten minute walk, and I knew these small city streets like the back of my hand, but the bone-chilling weather made it seem like I took hours to get 'home' instead. Charlie texted me a few hours ago to tell me he left the keys under the carpet & a cold plate of pizza on the table for me… so that was my overly-exciting homecoming.

I called him on whim, begging him to not ask any questions or mention it to anyone that I was coming back. I had promised myself, and every other asshole in Forks, that I wouldn't come back until I had made something of myself. Well, I was back, over three years later, and just what had I accomplished? I knew it was pathetic to run back to my dad's two bedroom little nitch in a wet, soggy small town with my tail between my legs… but I needed this. I truly did.

I bound up the creaky steps and tossed my luggage lazily against the peeling wallpaper and fell onto my bed, which was still stiff and comfortable all at the same time. I looked up at the ceiling and let out a long breath, hating myself when I started to dry sob; my parents had begged me not to go to New York, but I just had to. I left the west coast for a home and a job I had no idea about, and the unfathomable truly happened. Every small-town girl fear had come true- I met a gorgeous man way out of my league, got a 'dream' job that I was so not qualified nor ready to take on, and most of all I had lost my sense of morale somewhere along the way. I shut my eyes in agony and flipped over to be on my belly. Had he called Rene already? Surely she had a mouthful to say about me returning after so long, and I wasn't ready to listen to her bullshit yet.

I left every last family member and friend, never sparing a look or message in return- though I hadn't meant to do that, it sort of just happened. First it was the hard curriculum at University, then it was working for the Montebellos, and then it just turned into my own way of ignoring every last part of who I used to be. I shook my head again, trying my hardest to deflect every single advance the morbid part of my psyche made. I wasn't sure what was going to make me happy and I didn't know if this was permanent- hell, I didn't even know what I planned on doing here anyway. It was all a blur- I was interrupted when my phone, for the third time in one sitting, went off and echoed throughout the old house. I finally picked up the touch screen thing and saw that it was a third missed call, from the same blocked number. Thinking better of it, I ignored the call and tossed the phone onto the bedside counter.

I didn't….

A/N: Soooo, anyone still following this? Much love and appreciation to everyone still going strong with me!