Circus ▷ Jacob Black

ZERO

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ZERO; ABANDONED

     LOVE DOESN'T COME EASY to Imogen Tang. She grew up in an awful school with privileged boys who thought racial slurs were comical and teasing about a girl's weight did no harm. Imogen was raised to believe she wasn't beautiful, and she could never be as gorgeous as the other girls in her class. Nonetheless, being the hopeless romantic she is, she clung onto the idea that her Prince Charming would swoop in one day and rescue her from the dangers of her mind.

     Moving into high school was different. Imogen didn't like change, but she discovered that high school was the best kind. While others complained that it was a living death hole and they wanted to forget everything about it, Imogen loved it. People were kind to her and no one made comments about the shape of her eyes or her body. Everyone she met was kind and welcoming, and she never wanted to leave.

     That dream was nearly impossible. Imogen's sister, Ivy, was eleven years older than her and a successful chef in New York. Imogen's parents believed that since Ivy could leave the town of Forks and become something bigger than she could've ever imagined, so could Imogen. She had been constantly pressured day after day to achieve high grades and pursue her dreams by not allowing any distractions to get in the way. Sometimes, Imogen couldn't feel the love of her parents because it was disguised by stress and jealousy for the continuous praise of her sister.

     Imogen still tried to see the happiness in life. She promised herself she would never return back to the girl she once was before, and she would try her best to surround herself with peace and good thoughts. She would leave all seriousness behind and cover up every moment of her life with jokes and happy spirits. It was one of the reasons many people were drawn to the sarcastic girl.

     Love would be a never ending struggle. She liked plenty of boys in the past, but she was either rejected or she just gave up on them. Love complicated things for her, and she couldn't afford to be so careless when graduation was approaching and she would never see her friends everyday again. She had to set love to the side and enjoy the small moments she savored with the people she grew up with for four years.

     Bella Swan was one of those people. The girl might've only been around for a year, but Imogen enjoyed being in her presence. Bella was quiet, which meant she let Imogen talk on and on until she grew tired.

     She grows concerned about her friend when the Cullen family leaves. Everyone knows about the relationship between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, but no one could understand why they were together. The Cullen family liked to keep to themselves, and Edward taking an interest in Bella was an odd action, particularly for him.

     Imogen tries her best to talk to Bella at school, but the girl is barely listening, nodding and acting as if the two were still friends. It was as if the new Bella was a ghost taking place of the former Bella. Imogen's jokes could only go so far, and Bella wasn't laughing at any of them.

     "Don't be so concerned, Im. Bella's just hung up over that Cullen kid," Mike Newton said, leaning over at his spot at the lunch table to speak to the girl. Imogen glanced over at Bella, who was sitting far away from her usual group of friends. Imogen couldn't remember the last time Bella sat with them.

     "Yeah, Bella's such a downer. Edward Cullen isn't the only cute guy in the world," Lauren Mallory spoke. Imogen's eyes narrowed.

     "Have some sympathy, Lauren. They were together for a while," Imogen countered. Lauren wasn't one of her favorite people in the world. At times, she could be overly selfish and only look out for the best for herself rather than the best for others.

     "Don't defend Bella, Imogen. She was the one who abandoned us, remember?" Jessica Stanley reminded. Imogen chewed on her lower lip, preventing herself from saying something she would regret. Angela Weber gazed at her from across the table in pity.

     "Can we talk about something else, please? This is bothering me," Lauren complained.

     Jessica immediately launched the conversation into the topic of one of her new favorite television shows, and Imogen left the group, refusing to hear any more. She found herself heading towards Bella and her empty table, and she tried to gather a conversation starter in her mind.

     "Bella."

     She glanced up, but her eyes were only empty and dark. "Imogen."

     The Asian girl gulped, trying to find a better way around the awkward situation. She took a seat across from Bella, knee jolting up and down. "Sorry, I needed to get away from Lauren and Jessica. You know how they can be sometimes."

     All Bella did was nod.

     Imogen cleared her throat. "Anyways, I wanted to ask if you had time to hang out this weekend. I'm heading down to Port Angeles on a brief shopping trip."

     "Maybe not this time, Imogen."

     But, as luck would have it, Imogen received a phone call that night. She was surprised to hear Bella's voice from the other side of the line.

     "Imogen, I was wondering if you still wanted to hang out this weekend."

     Imogen, shocked, didn't know how to respond. She attempted to act cool so her parents wouldn't question who was on the other end of the line. "Yeah! I'm still available."

     "Great. I need your help down at my friend's place. His name is Jacob Black."

     Imogen furrowed her eyebrows. She supposed shopping wasn't the first activity Bella had in mind, but if this meant Bella was ready to recover from her breakup, Imogen was in.

     "Sure! What time should I be there?"

     "I'll come by and pick you up around noon."

     Imogen didn't know that the next day would be the first time she would meet Jacob Black, a boy who would make her heart hurt more than she could ever imagine.

guys there will be a lot of angst but imogen and jake are gonna be so cute i promise