~ Eleven ~

Rose rips from my grasp and throws herself at Edward. His body switches from attack into protect mode. He traps her in his arms, and though she flails and screams, they are a steel band around her. Only his face holds the fury that must be pumping through his veins.

"Stop it, Edward. Please stop." Her pleas become more fractured until she's limp in his grip.

The brawl around them peters out, a few last shoves and insults traded between the two groups.

Now she's achieved a ceasefire, she finds her own fight and shoves Edward as hard as she can. It doesn't make much impact, but he gets the message and steps back. I think I hear a whispered apology, but it's lost among the wail of a siren.

My heart thunders beneath my ribs, filling my ears. Adrenaline surges under my skin. Edward searches through the dispersing crowds, and when he sees me, he starts to walk over but is stopped in his tracks by Riley, who stands in front of me, bleeding and breathless.

I try to see around him, but Edward is already gone. Attract and repel. The closer we get, the quicker we flip.

Riley hisses, touching the bridge of his nose. "Fuck, goddamn."

"Is it broken?" I lift my hand to touch the bruise beginning to glow on his cheek, but drop it when he flinches.

"No. It's fine."

Strobes of blue and red light up the beach. A patrol car pulls up on the sand. Two officers get out and talk to the small group still lingering by the dying fire. The rest of the crowd melted into the darkness at the first sight of the cops. Edward included.

The crowd is pointing in our direction.

"I'd better go and talk to them. You okay waiting here?" Riley puts his hand on my shoulder.

"I gotta get Rose home." She's sitting on the sand next to Michael, a silence as deep as the sea between them. "I'll see you later."

"Just wait for me, and I'll take you home. I need to set things straight with the cops, and then we can go."

I fish Edward's keys out of my pocket, clasping them in my hand. "I better take the car back to their house, too. She's in no state to drive."

Riley looks annoyed, but I don't back down. I want to get away from the beach and whatever the fuck just happened.

"See ya then." He doesn't smile as he walks away with Michael trailing after him, his face as battered as his friend's.

Bloodied. Ripped. Defeated.

I walk to Rose and offer her my hand, her fingers cold as I pull her to her feet. Smudges of mascara add to the dark shadows around her eyes.

"You okay?"

"I hate him."

I don't need to ask who.

Edward's keys have warmed in my hand; I dangle them off the end of my finger so Rose can see. "Where's his car?"

She lifts her chin toward a sandy parking lot, only a few cars remaining. I guess the old, black Camero is Edward's before she leads me to it. Suits him somehow. Rusted and rough around the edges, but sleek and powerful. Cassettes are piled on the passenger seat, Edward's handwriting and doodles on the covers. I haven't seen a cassette since my dad traded in his old stereo for an upgrade. Around the same time he traded in me and my mom.

Rose swipes the tapes off the seat onto the floor, sliding into the car. Despite her anger, she keeps her feet off the brittle cases.

I adjust the seat, sliding forward.

"He hates people messing with his seat."

I smile and adjust the recline, angling his mirrors too. "Tough luck."

She laughs, and I'll scratch it as progress from the worrying silence she's sunk into.

The roar of the engine rattles my teeth as we pull out of the parking lot. She rolls the window down, and salty air swirls in, mixing with the scent of smoky leather and the faded pine tree air freshener swinging around the rear-view mirror.

"Where are we going?"

"Head down the coast road, up into the hills. I'll direct you from there," she answers, laying her head on the car door.

I let the silence accompany us until I can no longer see the wrinkling of the sea in the rear-view.

"Rose?" I wait until she looks over, sits up. "What happened tonight?"

"You mean the fight? You know as much as me."

"I mean with Edward. Why did he flip out?"

"Because he's an asshole."

"That's a given, but why does he hate them so much?"

I think I see her shrug out of the corner of my eye.

I try a different angle. "Why do you like Michael so much?"

"Because he's a chance for me."

I fight back a thousand responses that are less than supportive. She takes my hesitation as judgement.

"You don't know what it's like here, Bella. Living in this shitty town, working day in and day out and never going anywhere. Not being able to leave."

I chance a glance at her, but she's turned back to the blur outside the window. "You're right. I don't know what your life is like, but there has to be other options rather than putting all your hope in some stupid guy like Michael?"

"It's not that …" She chokes out a sad little laugh. "I know I sound pathetic. I can't really explain what it's like here. I … we have a lot of responsibilities."

"So you want to leave with Michael?"

"It's not about leaving or staying. It's about having a choice."

I hear what she's not saying. It's about money.

"And Edward hates him because he doesn't agree?"

"Edward hates him because Michael's not the kind of person he wants for me. He's not good enough."

That's glaringly obvious, but there's something else underneath a brother's good intentions for his sister. And it doesn't explain his reaction to Riley.

We pull up to a house that's drowning in its garden. Even in the dark I can see plants tangling together and pushing up against its porch. Climbers have wriggled their way into the walls and crowd the windows. There are some pots clustered by the front door, blooming among the neglect, so someone is trying to keep a bit of control.

Rose leads me around the house. "I don't want to wake my Dad."

"I should get back home." I pause, nervous to meet her father when she looks so distraught and tear-stained. I can't handle another person looking at me like I'm the cause of Rose's problems.

"Don't be silly. You can stay here with me. We can sleep in Edward's place."

I turn and start to walk back to the road. There's no way.

"Bella. Hey, come on. Please stay. I'll drop you back home tomorrow." She grabs my hand and holds on to it, not letting go until I'm safely inside what, from the outside is an old garage, but now looks like Edward's bedroom.

"There are only two bedrooms in the house, and Edward likes his space. He converted it himself." She smiles, but then must remember she's supposed to be angry with him as it turns into a scowl.

"I don't think he'll want me in here." I hang back in the door as she reaches up and tugs on a light switch. It's a lot warmer than I'd expected. A double bed is pushed up against one wall. Orange crates line another, filled with old records, more cassettes, and books. There's a hi-fi with a double-recording tape deck and turntable that looks like it's seen better days.

The space is kinda messy. His stuff is everywhere, but the bed is made, and though it smells like a boy's room, it's a nice smell. Kind of like hair gel or his fabric softener, mixed with the ocean. We've trailed the smokey bonfire with us, too.

I'm surprised to see a surfboard propped in the corner. He doesn't strike me as a surfer, but then what do I know about him, really?

"What if he comes back? I really think it's better if I go home."

"If he comes back he can sleep on the porch." Rose slumps down onto a small couch, strewn with clothes. She shoves them off onto the floor. "You can sleep on the bed, if you want?"

"No." I almost shout my answer, so I try to soften and explain, "I'm okay, thanks. I'll be fine on the couch with you."

"Wake me if you need anything." Her voice is sleep-slurred and blurred at the edges. And she's taking up most of the couch.

I don't know what to do with myself, but I'm exhausted, so I sit on the edge of his bed and wait for the sun to rise. The second I see a glimpse of daylight, I will walk home.

Rose's soft snores soon lull my eyes closed, and when I can no longer keep my balance on the edge of sleep, I curl up on Edward's covers, and fall into it.

AN: Thank you for reading. Have a fab weekend. xx