A/N: Another short one, but I have a fever and have coughed up one of my lungs I really can't be bothered. Hope you like.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters, Stephenie Meyer owns everything.
Counting Down the Days
Chapter 10
Friday, December 10th
I squealed when Emmett picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder and spinning around in circles. "Emmett, put me down! I just had dinner, I'm gonna puke!"
"As you say, little lady." He put me down on my feet and I had to hang onto his arms until the world had stopped spinning and I could stand on my own two feet. "So, what are we doing tonight?"
"We could have a guitar hero tournament? Or an X-men marathon?" I suggested, and Emmett pretended to think very hard, rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger.
"Hmm…I know! Felix is having a keg party, let's go there!"
My heart sank. "Emmett, I don't wanna go to a keg party. Can't we do something else?"
Emmett had the decency to look a bit ashamed, and he suddenly reminded me of a little boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I kind of already promised Felix I'd come." I sighed. "We don't have to stay all night! Just a little while. Come on Bells, I'll look out for you."
I sighed again. "Okay, but let's not spend the entire night there,"
Emmett agreed with a dimpled grin.
I realized about ten minutes after I entered Felix's and Alec's apartment that this was a bad idea. There were people everywhere, and I only recognized a handful of them. I made my way to the kitchen, where the keg was. There was a plethora of liquor bottles on the counter, and I eyed them warily. I didn't really know a lot about alcohol, I needed Emmett for this. But he had disappeared, so I was left on my own. I picked up one of the iconic red cups that seemed standard at college parties and looked at the various bottles of liquor on the counter.
"You look a bit lost, do you need help?"
I looked behind me to see a good looking blond guy standing there, looking amused at me. "Yeah, I'm a bit handicapped when it comes to alcohol. Maybe you could point me in the right direction?"
He smiled, showing off his straight white teeth and moved up to stand beside me. "Of course. I'm always glad to help a damsel in distress."
"I don't know if I'm a damsel in distress, but it's good to have someone around who knows what he's doing."
"I'm James, by the way." He held out his hand, and I shook it. He had a firm grip, and his hand was warm. There was something in his blue eyes that made me blush.
"I'm Bella. So, can you fix me up something to drink? Go easy on the alcohol though, I'm kind of a lightweight."
James chuckled and started browsing through the bottles. He picked up a vodka bottle and peach schnapps, and I made sure he didn't pour in too much alcohol. Then he mixed in two different kinds of juices, and presented me with the drink.
"What is it?" I asked as I took a tiny sip. It was really good; you could barely taste the alcohol.
"It's a sex on the beach."
I almost choked on the drink, and couldn't help but to blush. "It's pretty good."
James and I went out in the living-room and he introduced me to some interesting people. One girl, Anna, I recognized from one of my classes and we talked a lot. James didn't really leave my side for the entire evening, his hand either on my shoulder or on my back. His touch wasn't exactly unwelcome; it felt nice to know that someone was interested in me. At the same time, I was slightly uncomfortable with the attention he was showing me.
I only saw Emmett briefly, and he looked like he was having a good time. I started feeling that I wanted to leave, but I didn't want to go without letting Emmett know, so I decided the next time I saw him I'd let him know I was leaving.
"So you're an econ major?" I asked James, who grinned lazily. I was starting to feel the alcohol of the four or so drinks I'd consumed, and it was getting heavier and heavier to blink.
"Yeah, I am. Do you want another drink?" I hesitated, and James ran his thumb down my cheekbone. I shivered, and his grin widened. "Come on, one more drink won't hurt."
I nodded, and flinched when another dizzy spell hit me. James grabbed my waist and led me into the kitchen. Like I weighed nothing he put me up on the kitchen counter before turning his back on me to fix my drink.
"So, why are you hanging out with me tonight? I'm not very cool, you know," I slurred.
I could hear James laugh, and he turned to face me, drink in hand. "I beg to differ. Here." He handed me the drink and I took a huge sip.
"Mmm, yummy." I grinned and downed the rest of the drink. It tasted a bit stronger than the previous ones, but it was still delicious. I remembered then I hadn't had very much for dinner, and lunch was only a chicken noodle soup. I slammed my empty cup down on the counter and jumped down. Unfortunately my balance was off, and I stumbled forward, right into James' arms. "Sorry," I giggled.
"No problem." James seemed more sober than me, and I stumbled after him as we went back into the living-room. Someone had changed the music, and the hip hop song that was now blaring through the speakers hurt my ears. James leaned down to shout in my ear. "You wanna go somewhere quieter?"
I nodded vehemently, and let James pull me away from the crowd. The hallway we were going through was spinning, and I saw James turn his head and speak to me, but I didn't hear a word he was saying. My limbs were heavy, and every step was an effort. Black spots appeared in front of my vision, and I groaned. "James, I don't feel so good."
"Relax Bella, I'll take you to a quiet place."
My skin tingled, like a thousand small needle pricks all over my body, and I couldn't feel my teeth. I ran my tongue over my gums, over and over again, but my teeth were still numb. Suddenly James stopped, and I crashed into his back. I heard the sound of a door opening, and then I was being pushed inside a room. It was dark, but I could make out the contours of a dresser to my right and a bed straight in front of me. When James turned me around to face him the entire room spun, and I clung to his forearms as I wouldn't stumble.
"Finally," he whispered, and then he was kissing me. I groaned, trying to turn my face away but he held the back of my neck in a vice. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and I gagged, punching and pulling at his arms and chest to get him off me. Panic surged through my body, and I started to cry when I felt his hand at the button of my jeans, trying to unfasten them. My survival instinct kicked in, and I bit down on his lower lip hard. He pulled away with a snarl, and touched his fingers to his bloody lip. "You bitch!" he pushed me backwards so I landed on the bed and then lay down on top of me, making it impossible for me to escape. I closed my eyes and let my body go limp. The room was still spinning, and it was hard to determine what was real and what wasn't. I once again felt his fingers try to get my jeans undone, and I started wiggling like a worm. Then, all of the sudden, the heavy weight on top of me was gone, and I heard a slam and a groan before something heavy fell to the ground.
I opened my eyes and saw Emmett standing there, his right fist raised and James lying on the floor, unconscious. "God Bella! I'm so sorry, I never should have let you out of my sight!" he reached out to pull me to my feet, and as I stood up the world spun.
"Emmett?"
"I didn't know he was here, if I did I would have kept you away from him. Fuck, Alice is going to kill me."
"NO!" I yelled, and Emmett looked shocked. "Please don't say anything. To neither of them." I closed my eyes tightly and tried to stop the queasy feeling in my stomach.
"Bella, you can't ask that of me."
"Emmett, please! I'm begging you." I looked up at him and tried to look stern, but the fact that I felt like I was going to throw up probably didn't help me.
Emmett sighed. "Okay, for you. Now let's get you out of here."
I clung to him, but even with the small step I took the world spun faster. I stopped and took a deep breath, and looked at Emmett. Things were getting black again, and I'm pretty sure Emmett caught me as I passed out.
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