Author's Note: So this is my first fan-fic ever and I really hope you all enjoy it. Its been fun playing with the characters that I love!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or Twilight. The amazingly talented Stephenie Meyer does.

Epiphany

BPOV

“Alice, you have got to be kidding me!” I yelled over the dressing room door.

“Just come out and let me see it.” She pleaded.

“No freakin' way am I coming out there. It barely covers my butt!” I turned around to look at myself in the mirror. The red dress I had just squeezed myself into left very little to the imagination. It fell just below my butt and my chest was in serious risk of falling out.

“Wait, is that the red one?”

“Yeah, the red one that is so small it is now cutting off my circulation.” I pulled at the bodice of the dress, attempting to get my blood flowing again.

“Sorry, that one is mine; here it is in your size. Oh, and try this one too.” She threw the same red dress -in a larger size- over the door followed by a hot pink one. “Oh, and these too,” she said as she tossed over at least five more dresses in all different colors.

“Alice, what it is with all the colors? I’m trying not to stand out.” I said, tossing the pile of colorful fabrics on the chair.

“Well, it’s the trend right now. Just bare with me Bella. You want this night to be something you remember and there is nothing wrong with standing out. Plus, who knows – you might just meet someone.”

“Fine, but can you at least give me a few black ones, something a little less…loud?” I knew I would be giving in and buying something other than black but it didn’t mean I was willing to give up without a fight.

“I’m already two steps ahead of you babe. Here.” She flung over another batch of dresses, all of them black.

I was beginning to regret ever agreeing to this little shopping trip but Alice always had a way of getting what she wanted. Plus, she was right. I did want to remember this night.

It was the first time my art would be displayed in a legit gallery and I was so excited. I knew I wanted to look nice and make a good impression. And after looking through my closet I realized that in order to do that I’d need to find a new outfit. I was planning on coming alone and getting a simple black dress but then again I did have Alice as a best friend. Shopping was her job and there was no way she would miss out on the “fun” as she puts it.

“Do you have one on yet?” She asked, showing the patience of a five year old.

“Almost.” I reached around and pulled up the zipper.

“Not bad,” she said eyeing me over as I opened the door. “We can do better though. Try on the navy one next.”

I turned around and looked at the pile of dresses. “Umm, which navy one?”

“It’s right there, near the bottom.” She pointed at the corner piece of fabric sticking out from under the rainbow pile of silk and satin.

I stepped out into the navy dress and was fumbling with the zipper when Alice cleared her throat.

“So, have you heard anything from Jake lately?” I froze when she said his name. There was hesitance in her voice but I knew she was just honestly concerned.

“No, not since the last time.” I quickly got dressed and stepped out without looking in the mirror in an attempt to distract her current thought process. A huge smile spread across her face and she clapped her hands.

“Oh, Bella it perfect! I knew that would be the one. See, I told you we would find something. Now all we have to do is find some shoes.”

She quickly spun around and headed off for the shoe department audibly debating whether to go with a sling back heel or a peep toe.

I smiled as I realized how good I had become at detracting Alice. Of course, shopping was a huge help. I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance at the game of distraction if we were just sitting at home. Either way, I had succeeded, for now.

Still smiling I turned to face the mirror. Alice was right, the dress was perfect. Not too flashy or loud. The length was respectable and the back showed off just enough skin. I felt sexy but still conservative.

Jake would love me in this. As soon as the thought came to mind I quickly pushed it aside and reminded myself that this was not going too enjoyed by him, or by any other male for that matter. Tonight I was flying solo.

Before I had time to wallow in the fact that I had no one, Alice came around the corner holding a stack of shoe boxes.

“I couldn’t decide what color or what type so I grabbed a few of each. Lets start with the metallic ones, they’d be fun.”

“Fun? Right they would be fun,” I said sarcastically.

“Come on, we’re supposed to be having fun, and shoes are fun. What about these?” She held up a metallic pewter peep toe. “These will be like a party on your feet!”

I laughed at her use of words. Alice always knew how to make everything interesting, and she was right the shoes were fabulous.

“You’re right, those will definitely be a party on my feet. I’ll have to tell them to behave themselves if they get out of hand tonight.” I grabbed the shoes and slipped them on.

“So, what do you think?” she asked.

“Alice, you already know I love them. Would I ever question something you picked out?”

“Yes, in fact you have questioned me on I believe…six different occasions.”

Alice had the most amazing memory and nothing ever seemed to slip past her. I knew she was referring to the few times that I actually told her I wouldn’t wear what she had picked out. Most of the time it was due to the fact that I didn’t want to stand out as much as she thought I should.

“Hey, six times isn’t bad. You’re lucky that’s all,” I teased back.

“True, I guess after twelve years of friendship, six is a small number.” She smiled to herself obviously pleased with this fact. “Okay, let’s finish up and head over to the food court. We’re meeting Rose for some lunch in ten minutes.”

I headed back into the dressing room to change, taking one last look at myself in the mirror. Tonight is going to be great I can just feel it. I changed back into my jeans and tee, grabbed my purse and headed over to the sales counter.

Alice was explaining the fine art of accessory shopping to the sales lady when I walked up.

“The right shoes can make or break and outfit and don’t even get me started on the importance of the right jewelry. Some people are just lost in the world of fashion and it is our responsibility to show them the right way.” The sales lady was listening earnestly as Alice rambled off some fashion rule that I was sure I wouldn’t understand.

“Here, I’m all set.” I put my dress and shoes up on the counter breaking up the conversation. I felt bad interrupting but knew that if I didn’t, Alice could and would continue on for hours. Plus Rose would be waiting and she hated waiting.

A few minutes later we were walking through the mall heading for the food court.

I watched the people as we walked by, wondering where they were heading and to whom they were going to. My mind started to wander back to Jake when Alice cleared her throat and broke my train of thought. I should know by now that when ever Alice cleared her throat before a question it was going to be an interesting one.

“So, I noticed how you kind of danced around the whole Jake question earlier?”

“Oh, yeah?” I tried to sound surprised but she was always too perceptive.

“Bella, you know I can tell when something is on your mind and I know when you’re keeping something from me. So, just drop the act and spill it.” She looked up at me with a sad face and pouted lip that she knew I couldn’t resist.

“Fine,” I knew I wouldn’t win so why try? “He send me a text the other night.”

“What! He texted you and you didn’t tell me! What did it say?” She stopped walking and put her hands on her hips.

“Geeze, Alice keep it down.” This was why I hadn’t told her. I knew she would throw a fit. “It wasn’t that big a deal,” I responded. But I was lying; it definitely was a big deal.

“Then what did it say?” She was still standing with her hands on her hips, feet planted. I reached in my bag and pulled out my cell phone.

“Here, you can read it. But at least start walking so we don’t…cause a scene.”

She walked over and took the phone from my hands and started punching the keys. I held my breath in preparation for what I knew would be coming.

“He misses you? He misses you! Are you kidding me?” Alice stopped once again and was now screaming at the phone. “He can’t say that! What type of twisted text is that?

I felt my face go red as I dropped my voice. “Alice, umm could you please not yell.”

She froze and looked around, finally noticing the passing people who were staring. “Sorry,” she whispered, “but you know I can’t help it. And where does he get off saying that? You guys broke up. He can’t say he doesn’t want to be with you and then say he misses you. That’s… that’s just…,” she stammered trying to find the right word and finally settled with, “wrong.”

“I know its weird, but I mean…we were best friends. You can’t just lose your best friend and expect not to miss them.” I was justifying his actions, like I always did, and I knew it would bother her. It caught me off guard when she didn’t respond right away. Instead she just stood there, silently thinking. Eventually she spoke up.

“Isabella Marie Swan, I know he was your best friend. ‘Was’ being the key word here. But the moment he broke your heart he gave up the right to call you that anymore. If he thinks he can just keep dragging you along like this by contacting you whenever he has a moment of weakness he is seriously mistaken. I will not let him hurt you anymore than he already has.”

I looked in the eyes of my best friend and couldn’t argue. I knew she was right. As much I still wanted to talk and be friends with Jake, I couldn’t. Every time he made contact with me it always turned out the same way. He said he missed me, I said I missed him. And after a few days of being “just friends” he would say that we were getting too close and that he didn’t think it was fair for me.

This had a happened a few times over the last six months and each time I was left broken and crying. One time in particular was exceptionally hard but I blocked that out. Alice and Rose were there, like always, to pick up the pieces and help me get my strength back. I knew I owed them my sanity and quite possibly even more.

“Alice, I know how you feel and you know how I feel. This time I am not budging. It’s been three days since I got his text and I still haven’t responded, and I’m not going to. In fact, here,” I held out my hand motioning for her to give my phone back. I found his message and pushed erase. “Now I won’t even be able to look at it anymore.”

“Now that’s my Bella,” Alice said with a smile. She skipped over to me and linked her arm with mine. “Now, let’s go have some lunch.”

When we made it to the food court it wasn’t hard to spot where Rose was sitting. On most days people were either lined up around her or sitting close by blatantly staring. Today they were mostly staring but there were a few brave boys that had approached her. The two of us casually walked over and took our seats on either side of her. Upon noticing us arrive, the boys quickly said goodbye and left us alone.

“Giving out your number to minors again Rose,” Alice teased.

“Oh come on, they were at least eighteen. Besides they were just being nice and wanted an autograph.” Rose returned her attention to the boys and gave them a playful wink.

“You’re such a tease. I swear I will never get used to the effect you seem to have on guys.”

I had known Rose for almost as long as Alice. She and her brother Jasper moved to Washington during high school after their parents divorce. We were fast friends. At the time I was sure it was because both she and Alice had an obsession with fashion. But after just a short time we all found we were alike in more ways than one. We became inseparable and have been best friends ever since.

Our friendship lasted through many high school heartbreaks and the even bigger ones that followed in college. We remained close even when we went our separate ways for a few years: Rose went off to LA to pursue modeling full time; Alice went to Paris to study fashion; and I went to London and studied art. We never went more than two days without talking on the phone and made sure to plan plenty of visits. It had only been in the last two years that we were finally living close together again.

“So, what on the agenda for tonight?” Rose questioned while sipping her drink.

“Well, I’m getting to the gallery early, probably around seven. You guys can come whenever you want.” I tried sounding casual about the whole thing but inside I was a mess. I knew that I would be a ball of nerves until they showed up. They, being the best friends they were noticed my nerves and responded just as I assumed they would.

“We’ll be there around seven thirty,” they both said at the same time.

“Thanks,” I said, hearing my voice waver. “ I’m just so nervous I think it will help having you guys there.”

“Bella, it’s going to be great, you’ll see.” Rose reached over to and squeezed my hand. “Who knows maybe some rich old millionaire will buy all your work and sweep you off your feet.”

“Why does he have to be old?” Alice piped in.

“Okay, so not old, but definitely rich and good looking.” Rose raised her perfect brow in challenge.

“That’s better,” Alice nodded, “maybe a hot, young doctor, or lawyer, or investment banker or something.” I could see the wheels churning as Alice dreamed about my non-existent my future.

“Alright you two, let’s just focus on getting me through the exhibit and then we’ll take it from there.” I was already nervous enough and the thought of either of them trying to set me up with someone tonight made it even worse.

“Fine, but after tonight we get to take you out for some hunting.” Rose purred, a wicked smile stretched across her face.

“Ohh, someplace fun like Twilight. They always have good guys there.” Alice was bouncing in her seat at the thought.

“Alice, you already have a good guy. No, let me re-phrase that. Jasper is a great guy. You already have a great guy.” That sounded better.

“I’m not talking about me silly. I’m talking about you.” She was still dancing in her seat smiling at me.

“Let’s just take it one night at a time alright?” As soon as the words left my mouth I watched her face fall in disappointment. “Okay, okay,” I said quickly. “We’ll take it one night at a time starting with tonight and then tomorrow night we will go to Twilight.” I tried to sound excited but I’m sure there was no disguising my voice.

“It will be fun you’ll see. Right Rose?” She looked over at Rose for some encouragement.

“It will be a blast like always. It has been a little while since I’ve gone hunting though; I may need to sharpen my weapons.” She gave a little shoulder shimmy and leaned forward, showing some cleavage.

“Rose, you are such a man-eater,” I laughed.

“And you love me for it.” She said with a wink.

We spent the rest of our meal talking about our plans for the next few weeks and only stopped when Alice’s phone started buzzing. She answered with a huge grin spread across her delicate face.

Rose and I both knew that look. And there was only one person who could cause it, Jasper. Alice and Rose’s brother, Jasper, had been dating since high school. Minus the time they spent apart while Alice was in Paris, they were inseparable. We both knew they were perfect for each other. It was only a matter of time until they got married.

Alice snapped her phone shut. “Sorry, guys,” she apologized. “I should probably get going. I’ll be over at five thirty to help get you ready?” Alice looked over at me and waited for a response.

“Since when do I get ready for a big event without your help?”

“I know, I was just checking. I’ll see you later then.” She leaned down and gave Rose and I a quick kiss before grabbing her bags and heading off.

“What would we do without that little pixy keeping us in order?” Rose laughed.

“I don’t have the slightest.” I stood to throw my trash away and Rose followed behind me.

Together we walked to the parking garage and found Rose’s car first.

“I’ll see you at home. I’m going to stop off at the store and grab some stuff. Do you need anything?”

“Some nerves of steel if they’re selling it.” I looked back at her with worried eyes.

“You’ll do great, you won’t need any. You’ll see.” She leaned forward and gave me a quick hug.

“Thanks,” I said hanging my head and biting my lip. “I’ll see you at home.”

We said our goodbyes and as I walked to my car my mind easily wandered back to Jacob. I hated that I still thought about him so much. I knew that it would take some time to get over him, but this was taking longer than I thought. He had been my best friend and I missed him. I missed laughing with him. I missed our long conversations, and comfortable silences. I missed my friend.

Then, as if a light flicked on, everything suddenly became clear. I knew that I still loved him, always would, but not in a romantic way. I loved him as a friend loves a friend and nothing more than that. Yes, I missed our conversations and spending time with him, but I didn’t ache for him. I didn’t think about his kisses anymore and I didn’t dream about him lying next to me.

I found myself smiling as I came to this realization. This epiphany had brought with it a new feeling of determination.

I’m moving on with my life and I’m going to take some chances.

I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that, but I knew that tonight was going to be my start.