Chapter 1 – Remembering The Bad Stuff

Going home.

Alyssa Bridger was going home.

Aly hadn't been home to La Push in five years. She was due to turn twenty-three in a few weeks. She wasn't sure she could go and watch her sister get married to a man who was clearly in love with someone else. Her cell rang again as she looked down at it. She hit the answer button. "Hey daddy." She spoke in a sing song voice.

His deep chuckle answered her back. "C'mon now bug." He always used her childhood nickname. "I know you would never miss your favorite sister's wedding." Her father's deep voice chipped in.

"She's my only sister; how am I supposed to watch her get married when I know in my heart it is the biggest mistake she will ever make in her life?" Alyssa asked her father honestly.

He cleared his throat. "I don't know about biggest mistake bug. Jacob has grown into a very nice young man. He owns his own mechanic garage; you remember how handy he used to be with tools. He's an active member on the tribal council and honestly bug, he loves your sister like no other could in this world. Stop being my stubborn eldest daughter and come support my youngest daughter's wedding."

She wasn't sure how she could've possibly gotten talked into going home but she had and now she was feeling nauseas. She stared at her cell phone for an hour after she'd hung up with her father; then proceeded to stare at her VERY empty suitcase for at least a good three hours.

How could she possibly agree to go back to La Push?

Oh she already knew how; her sister had undoubtedly called their father with her alligator tears and phony upset breathing and wrapped him around her bony little finger.

She hadn't been back there since she graduated high school and basically became a wanderer up and down the cities and towns of the West coast. She'd occasionally call and talk to her best friend Kim and talk to a handful of people, but she rarely spoke to her sister. Not since her boyfriend had become her little sisters now fiancé. She could still remember everything like it was yesterday.

Alyssa shook her head as she tried to forget that day. It was the same day she realized she would NOT be staying in La Push her whole life; and she didn't either. Jacob Black had been in love with Bella Swan the WHOLE time he'd dated Alyssa. Jacob kept dating Alyssa; he was the boy who she had a lot of firsts with; first kiss, first boy she fell in love with, first boy she went all the way with; yea he took her virginity, but only because she gave it to him. She thought it was sacred and it meant more because they were both virgins at the time, so giving each other their virginity was a loving gesture. Boy was she wrong.

Alyssa didn't realize how deep his feelings for Bella Swan were until the night of the bonfire. Alyssa couldn't go because she had a mountain of homework she was sure she couldn't finish over the weekend, but as fate would have it she breezed right through it. She figured she'd surprise Jake by showing up to the bonfire. Turns out she was the one who was surprised. She walked up over the sand dune and saw the glow from the fire and saw everyone playing and having fun. Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she looked over and saw Bella and Jake in a heated kiss.

When she finally swallowed past the lump in her throat she confronted the kissing supposed friends. Jake finally came clean to Alyssa and told her he was in love with both her and Bella. The whole time he'd pushed that she was his best friend and Alyssa could see through it but figured all that they had shared together that it was just her over active imagination. Such wasn't the case.

Alyssa and Jake had only been broken up for four weeks; four lousy weeks. When she came home from school one night and busted Jake pressing her little sister against the porch of the house they shared with their dad. She was sickened by what she saw and couldn't believe her little sister was dumb enough to get trapped into Jacob Black's web of lies and stupidity. It even hurt to see the way he kissed her so passionately. She was over the pain of what he'd done to her; but it left her pissed off that her sister would get mixed up with him; especially after Alyssa told Jules what he'd done to her. Jules had called him every dirty name and bad word in the dictionary but apparently the anger didn't last long.

Alyssa heard her sister come in from outside as she barged into her sisters room.

"Have you completely lost your mind Julissa Marie Bridger? After everything I told you about rotten fuckin' Jacob Black? I come home to find you two practically dry humping against the house?"

Jules glared at her year older sister. "Lyssa, you're just jealous."

"I can't guarantee a lot of things in life Jules, but there are two things I can guarantee; one I don't get jealous over cheating lying assholes and two Jacob Black is going to break your heart. I guarantee both of those." Alyssa pointed out to her little sister.

Julissa shook her head as she spun around to face her older sister. "Lyssa you're just saying that to keep me away from your ex-boyfriend. Look he's your ex because you broke up with him and now you're just mad or whatever because he asked me out." Julissa sighed heavily. She couldn't believe her own sister was being so hateful about her new blossoming relationship. "Honestly Lyssa, if you still wanted him and he still wanted you then you two would still be together, but you're not. You're going to have to get over it."

Alyssa scoffed out a snort. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Aly couldn't help thinking 'Yea you just wait and see what you're going to get yourself into little sister; just wait. Wait till she finds out about Jacob Black's little secret…Bella Swan.'

It had officially been two weeks since Alyssa had agreed to go to her sister's wedding back in La Push Washington. She hadn't gotten much sleep and could just FEEL the tension coursing through her body. She had finally settled down and was renting a condo in Napa, California. She'd been selling her paintings, drawings and sculptures and was making a decent living working at an art gallery. She'd been hired privately to paint murals in nurseries, schools, and homes all over the state of California. She'd even been approached by a few publishers and contributed life's work for a couple of those cheesy coffee table art books. This caught her by surprise when they'd sold out and we're currently asking for another set of work for a third book.

It was funny because she'd never drawn or painted to make anyone else happy but herself. It was just something she'd picked up on doing when their mother had left them high and dry when Alyssa was 10 and Julissa was 9. No note or explanation as to why she left; nothing to go off of. After a couple of years Alyssa just didn't care why she left and started convincing Jules they were better off without their mother.

Alyssa rolled over and looked at the clock on her nightstand the red numbers that read 3:30 AM were teasing her for not being about to fall asleep. She'd slept a total of 4 hours a night in the last two weeks and for some reason it wasn't affecting her like she figured it would be. Her father had called and talked with her around 9 PM when he was leaving the furniture store he owned. If Alyssa had the uncanny knack for drawing and painting her father had the uncanny talent for wood work. He made the most amazing wooden chairs, tables, coffee tables, kitchen tables, China cabinets, even bedroom furniture with an array of different colored stains.

They had talked for a good hour and once they hung up Alyssa climbed into bed glaring at her suitcases that were sitting already packed by her bedroom door. Snapping from her thoughts again the red numbers on the clock were now blatantly laughing in her face as it read 4:00 AM. Once the clock read 4:30 AM, she got up and made a pot of coffee as she jumped on her laptop and checked her e-mail. As she grabbed her second cup of coffee and made her way into her bedroom, she had already placed her rolling suitcases on the bed she was doing to double check and make sure she had everything packed. She couldn't believe her little sister was getting married in two weeks. In eight hours she was getting on a plane and spending the next two weeks trying to support her sister's wedding because her father asked her too.

Her dad really didn't understand what happened between her and Jake.

Then there was Jake. Jacob Black. How in the hell was she supposed to face him when she knew deep in her heart he was just stringing Julissa along? She shook her head to clear her thoughts of everything except for the two open suitcases. If she didn't focus she would never get it done.

Around 5:00 AM, a shrill ringing noise brought her from her repacking as she grabbed her cell and didn't recognize the phone number flashing on the screen. She hit the answer button. "Alyssa Bridger?"

"Lyssa…" A familiar voice whispered out.

Aly raised an eyebrow at the sound of the voice. "Jules, is that you?"

A few quiet beat later and the familiar voice of Alyssa's little sister finally sputtered a sob into the phone.

"Lyssa, I need you. Dad's been in an accident…"