Chapter 4- "Bad Blood"

The rest of the school week had passed uneventfully. Cece and I planned to meet after school and head to my house where we would get ready for Alex's party.
"Are you ready for your first party?" She questioned as she jumped into the passengers seat.

Before I could answer, she then leaned forward and pinched my cheek," My wittle baby is allll grown up."

"Shut up ya bitch." I gave her my best eye roll.

"Wow, Iz, I'm starting to rub off on you. I'm impressed," She cackled, pretending to wipe away a proud tear. When she was done with her dramatics, I threw my car into gear jerking her around in her seat. She just laughed at my temper. Soon after I joined in and we laughed loudly together. We had become even closer after her fire display. With the exception of Him, she knew mostly everything about me. We quickly pulled into my driveway and made our way to my room, raiding the fridge for snacks as we went. She turned on my Spotify on my computer, scrunching her nose when classic music started playing. She quickly changed it to some hip-hop. She was trying to 'broaden my music horizons', and I didn't mind the change.

"So, Iz, what kind of look are you going for tonight?" Circe asked opening my closet door and making her way to my clothes.

"Hmm, maybe something flirty, but not too flirty. I don't want anyone to actually flirt with me tonight." I laughed.

"Honey, you really need to get back on the dating scene." I paled at the thought.

"That's rich coming from Miss 'I'm-swearing-off-boys-until-college'," I retorted butchering her accent when I quoted her.

"Isabella, you sound like a damn yankee." Circe replied laughing, not able to pull herself together at my attempt of a southern accent.

Throwing me a tight pair of black moto jeans and crimson tank top, Circe started to strip down and put on her own outfit. A high-waisted skirt and sleeved crop top. I've never seen someone as comfortable with her body as Circe. This girl would strip down in front of queen of England without a second thought. Jumping up, I walked to the bathroom so I could change. I barely finished dressing before she was pushing her way into my bathroom with a bag full of makeup.

"I promise, Iz, I'll keep the makeup light. Scout's honor." She claimed as she pushed me onto a stool.

"Done!" She exclaimed not soon after she began, backing up to check her work. True to her word, she only placed a little blush, highlight, and mascara.
"Girl, you have the best brows and lashes. I'm so jealous." Circe stated. I just laughed. Brows? What a weird compliment. After the confidence blow, He left me with, it was strange to be complimented. Circe was very pretty and extremely popular with the guys in our classes even if she didn't give them time of day. She had a natural beauty to her even though she tended to wear make up and her whole body screamed confidence. She has those legs for days that were toned from running and a golden tan from hours spent training in the sun. Sometimes I would look at Circe and wonder if she was something He would want. Him with someone else was a painful thought, so I quickly pushed it away. Circe finished applying her makeup, finishing with a deep plum lipstick. She was ready to knock the boys out.

"Wow, Ce, you look amazing." Her outfit showed off her slender curves and the makeup just accentuated her beauty.

"Look at yourself, honey, you are the damn knockout tonight," She retorted.

"Nah, but you did do a good job on my makeup."

"Shut up, Iz," She almost yelled at me, "you are so beautiful. We are going to have to grab one of Phil's bats just to beat the guys off of you tonight." I could only laugh. She always knew the right thing to say. I really felt like her sister especially since she always had my back.

We made our way to the party at Alex's house. Renee insisted dropping us off in case "we decided to drink"; she never really played the concerned mother part well. I was surprised she didn't kick me out of the car with a bottle of tequila and a bag of marijuana. Renee was almost too excited for me to party. We pulled up to the house, jumping out while thanking my mom.

"'I'll text you if we need a ride home, Mom." I reassured Renee.

"It's all fine, baby. Go wild, but use protection!" My mom shouted out the window while driving off. I reddened.

"Well your mom is very… open-minded." Circe raised her brows in disbelief then laughed. She grabbed my hand yanking me to the front door, walking in without even knocking.

The party was in full swing, I could already see that Lauren was pretty wasted by the way she wobbled around circling around Alex like a gnat.
"Damn, Lauren sure is thirsty tonight. She looks like a vampire about to drain Alex dry." I paled at her statement. Could she know? "Calm down, Bella." I thought to myself. I gave her a little laugh as a response.

We grabbed some cups and started to slowly make our way through the party. This was my first-time drinking, so I took it slow, but that didn't last long as Cece handed me three shots. Who knew those tiny little drinks could really knock you on your ass. I sure didn't. Next thing I knew, I was out on the dance floor sandwiched between two random guys. "Well this is different." I thought to myself. I tried to extract myself from the guys, but I was never really known for my strength and the liquor didn't help. I searched the room for Circe and as soon as her eyes met, I gave her a panicked look. With a laugh, she rolled her eyes and made her way to yank me off the dance floor.

"I never thought I would make it out of there alive." I guffawed.

"I never thought little Izzy could move like that." Circe laughed, imitating my dance moves.

"Well thanks for the save."

"Anytime, Iz. On that note, lets get another drink." She smiled, walking to the cooler labeled "jungle juice".

"I would recommend going slow on this one, Iz." She said while sniffing her cup. Ignoring her warning, I took a big gulp and almost choked on the burning liquid.

"Christ on a cracker. That shit is pungent." I coughed out, making Circe laugh.

"Told you. Think of me as your party Yoda." She bowed her head.

"Drink beer we must." I said in my best Yoda voice. It wasn't even close and we both laughed at my failure. I realized how much I had changed since Edward's departure. Edward. I acknowledged his name for the first time since he ditched me in the woods. What would Edward think of me drinking at a party? I took another large gulp of my drink. Edward didn't care. This is what he wanted, right? He wanted me to live a normal and this was just a normal part of being a teenager. I downed the last half of my solo cup in one go.

"Dang girl, you better slow down. You're getting too big for your britches." Circe laughed.

"Ce, you know I have no idea what you are saying when you say stuff like that."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Never mind. Just slow down. I don't want to hold your hair back later."

The party continued and we made our way around talking and dancing. I drank another cup slowly this time. I decided now was a perfect time for a bathroom break. I let Circe know where I was going. As I made my way to the bathroom, I bumped into one of the guys I danced with earlier. He was a pretty cute guy and we struck up a conversation. It seemed the liquid courage made me slightly bolder than normal. I laughed at one of his jokes and without anymore provocation he leaned forward and kissed me. Stunned, my mouth dropped open slightly which he took as an invitation to stick his warm tongue into my mouth. The numbness from the alcohol made my reactions slow as I just stood there letting him lead the way with his tongue. I had never been kissed like this and it was exhilarating. We made out in the hallway for a couple of minutes before his hands started to lower and move further down my body. When his snaked his hand up my shirt, quickly grabbing my breast, I jerked. His decision to push things further made me snap out of my alcohol buzz. What was I doing? I didn't even know his name. A sharp pain shocked the hole Edward left. I pushed back slightly on his chest, distancing our bodies and unlocking our mouths. He looked down with questioning eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can't," was all I could stammer out before I made a run for the bathroom.

I used the bathroom and stumbled up to the sink to wash my hands and splash some cold water on my face. Looking into the mirror, I saw the results of my hallway make out session. My lips were plumped and reddened, my face flushed. Staring back at my big brown eyes, I wondered if I would ever be able to let Edward go? Would the aching ever stop? It was unfair that he could move on so easily and have rest of eternity at his disposal. I was stuck with this hole in my chest and, in the grand scheme of things, a short time to live. Sighing, I made my way to the door right as someone bust into the bathroom. Did I not lock that door? I swear I did. The guy only uttered an "opps" as he walked in locking the door behind him. It was the second guy I danced with earlier. Brad, maybe? No, Chad? I couldn't recall. As he passed by me, he got uncomfortably close. I tried to move out of the way, but he was too quick.
"Hey where are you going so quickly, sweetheart?" His breath smelt atrocious as he leaned down to me.

"Um, I-I was just going to meet up with my friend."

"I have a better idea; why don't you hang out with me for a bit." He leaned closer, lips brushing my ear.

"Sorry, gotta go." I tried to dismiss his offer. I only took two steps before he had me pinned against the wall. His mouth against mine, trying to force his tongue into my mouth.

"Stop playing games, sweetheart. I remember the way you were teasing me on the dance floor." I couldn't respond before his mouth was back on mine so hard it forced my mouth open. I gagged when he stuck his tongue down my throat. He tasted of stale beer and what I thought might be dip. I tried to push him off, if only to get a breath of air. He maneuvered my hands together to fit in one of his and spun me around until my face was smushed against the wall. He smoothed his hands down my jeans before he roughly reached for the button undoing my pants. He stuck his tongue back in my mouth before I could scream. I heard him unzip his pants and felt the cool air against my bottom as he yanked down my pants.

"GET OFF ME!" I screamed as loud as I could. I couldn't over power him. I started having flashbacks to the alley in Port Angeles. This time Edward wasn't here to save me. Nobody would be able to help. Before he could get my underwear down, I heard a loud crash. The sound of the door breaking filled my ears.