Certain Things || L.C.

Prologue

Conner was only three years old when his parents divorced. As a toddler, your parents all of a sudden not being together anymore is confusing. One second they're in love and you're a big happy family, the next it's all ripped apart. Conner had been so excited to be a big brother when Bella was born, then just three months later, their parents were separated.

After rushing out of Forks, not wanting to be stuck there any longer, their mother, Renee, moved the two siblings in with their grandmother in California. In turn, moving the children away from their father. Years later, when Conner was nine, the small family of three picked up and moved to Phoenix, even further from the small rainy town. As time went by, Conner longed to return to Forks, but more importantly, his father. Although he couldn't speak for Bella, Conner absolutely hated the sun and heat that the new town brought. He knew his father, Charlie, was alone and missing his children just as much as Conner missed him.

Though the children did get to visit their father, it wasn't at all the same as growing up with him around. Their mother was loving sure, but unfortunately not too great at mothering. Conner found himself being forced to grow up too quick. Watching over Bella and making sure the decisions their mother made didn't harm Bella in the process. Renee had a habit of getting herself and her children into heavy situations, whether it be financial or otherwise. So, when Conner reached the age of eleven he found himself handling the finances for the family, making sure that they wouldn't face eviction for the fifth time. He tried his best to shield Bella from the world, in hopes she wouldn't be forced to mature at the rate he had. He had promised himself that he would keep his little sister safe at all costs.

Throughout the years, Conner worked to keep that promise. With some difficulty. He had never, once in his life, met someone clumsier then Bella. He had lost count of how many times she had gotten concussions or broken bones as a child. Even after the older sibling had graduated high school, he found himself being called in for a number of reasons. Bella fell and hit her head in gym. Bella twisted her ankle on the stairwell. Bella fainted in biology. Connor was used to being called in to "save" the younger sibling. Because of this, as tempted as he was to move back to live with his father, he stayed in Phoenix.

So the same month their mother had gotten remarried, Conner started schooling at their local college. Since most of his free time was spent with his otherwise socially awkward sister, Conner found himself without much of a social life. College was a new strange thing to get used to, seeing as most people his age were out partying every weekend with friends. So he stuck to himself, going from class to class, trying to make decent grades. That was until he met Mia.

To say it was love at first sight would be a stretch. He had dated before, during high school, but it never amounted to anything serious in the end. Most girls his age had different priorities than he did, but Mia was eerily similar to him in so many ways. They had shared a class together on accounting, and hadn't interacted much with each other at first, but Conner was hooked.

He thought she could be an angel, the beautiful curls that cascaded down her back and the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled. He just needed an excuse to get her to notice him. He wasn't very good at flirting, that much was obvious given that the only thing he could think of was asking her for a pencil every day.

Eventually, after a few weeks of sitting next to her, she finally confronted him about the 27 pencils she had given him, jokingly asking for financial compensation. Conner had given a small grin, grabbed his backpack, unzipped it, and turned it upside down, dumping the 27 pencils on the girls desk. After offering to buy her dinner as payment, the two were inseparable.

He had managed to fall in love with the girl within the first two months of knowing her, and after dating her for a little over year, he was convinced he had found the love of his life. But because life is cruel, that was ripped away from him too.