“Amanda?” It was Renee.
“Renee! It’s great to hear from you.” I hadn’t heard form her or Bella since we moved. I made sure they had my number, just in case they ever forgave me.
“Oh Amanda, I’m sorry. We haven’t spoken to each other in so long, and now I call up, asking for a favor..”
“What is it? I’ll do it. You know I’m glad to help.”
“It’s… Bella.” I sucked in a quick breath. She quickly explained what had happened since I moved. 
“Of course, Renee.” I hung up, and redialed, calling my travel agent. I was going to Forks.

_____

The plane ride was awful. It gave me so much time to think. Bella and I had been best friend since the first day of pre-school. She tripped walking out to recess and one of the boys teased her for it mercilessly. I “accidentally” tripped him as he learned towards her, turning the mocking of bystanders towards him. She stopped them, using this as proof things like this could happen to anyone and it wasn’t something to make fun of. She was so middle-aged, even then. At any rate, this little incident set the pattern of our lives. Me covering up many of Bella’s embarrassing moments, she keeping me and others from becoming as bad as the bullies. Except this time. This time, I wasn’t there to protect her from the bullies, to take care of her while she took care of everyone else. It was my fault, and I was going to fix it.
___

It was worse than I could have imagined.

 I pulled up to the house and was greeted by a distraught Charlie. I heard him say something about “help” and “catatonic” but I wasn’t paying attention. Behind Charlie, I could see into the living room, where Bella was lying on the couch. This wasn’t the Bella I remembered though. This wasn’t the Bella who always had a smile on her face, laughing and blushing alternatively.  This Bella had sunken eyes that told me there would be no more laughter, and pale skin that looked bloodless.

“Oh Bella!” I couldn’t tell if she could see or hear me. I turned to Charlie. “How long has she been like this?”
“Nearly a week. The doctor got her to eat some, but said if she didn’t “wake up” soon, they were going to have send her to the hospital, or back to Florida with Renee…” That woke her up, a little.
“NO!” She screamed “No no no…” Her voice faded to a moan, then a tremor, then she was silent. She was about to fall to pieces, I could tell.
“I’ll take it from here Charlie. Why don’t you go on to the station? I’m sure they’re hurting without their police chief.” More pain surfaced in his features. “Go. It’ll be fine.” He did leave, despite his uncertainty. I carried Bella upstairs, concerned by how light she was, and laid her on her bed.

“It’s okay Bella. Let it all out.”  These word were the final straw, and she cracked open, sobbing into my arms.
“He’s… gone… left… doesn’t.. love.. me… anymore….” Her sobs increased in intensity, racking through her whole body as I hugged her. I held her like that through the rest of the day and  most of the night. She ran out of tears and began dry sobbing around nine that night. She ran out of energy and finally fell asleep around 3 that morning. I didn’t sleep though. Renee told me a lot about what put Bella into this state, and it was haunting my mind’s eye.

In a sunny meadow, A boy is holding a girl, and they stare into each other’s eyes.
“I love you” She says with all her heart
“I love you too. So much more then you can imagine” He too means it with his unbeating heart.

The scene changes.

“You… don’t… want… me?” She asks the pain audible in her voice, visible in her every feature, accepting his wards as law.
“No.” His eyes are cold and stiff, almost lying.

Another skip.

“Bella! Bella where are you?” The girl lying on the ground doesn’t respond or even move. Not even when a man finds her and carries her back to her house. She’s broken inside, her heart gone with HIM.

And it repeats, over and over and over again.