Chapter 12

BPOV

The rest of the week went by pretty much the same.

I started to trust Edward more, seeing as he wasn't with any girls at all when I was around. Jasper and Emmett also said that during the classes that they had with him, he would push girls away. I was surprised, but at the same time happy, thinking that maybe he was actually changing for me.

We also became closer, although I still hadn't told him about T.J. yet. I was afraid of how he would react to something like that, although Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper continually told me that I needed to tell him. They told me that if he cared like they apparently knew he did, that it wouldn't matter.

Emmett was still pretty mad at me for the whole Barney thing, so he really didn't have much to say to me all week; he just kept trying to convince me that he wasn't afraid of Barney.

Once school was over, Rose, Alice, and I headed back to my house to get ready for the game, while the guys went over to Edward's and Alice's.

Alice and Rose decided to play Bella Barbie with me again even though I begged them not to. Of course they used my only weakness against me to convince me into doing not only that, but staying over at Alice's that weekend; the puppy dog eyes.

When we were all ready to go, we headed straight to the field for the game. Rosalie decided that she wanted to take her car since she hadn't driven it all week, so we didn't object. She had a red, convertible BMW M3; her pride and joy.

By the time we got to the school, the game was just about starting, so we made our way over to the bleachers, and sat down to watch.

Throughout the entire game, I had no idea what was going on. Rosalie tried to explain it to me, but gave up after a while, seeing as I would never understand. The only thing I did know was that our team was winning since the scoreboard showed we had a higher score.

Apparently, the game was almost over, so Alice explained to me what was going on, because Rose was too busy watching Emmett. She told me that Edward was running towards the other end of the field so that Emmett could throw the ball to him to score the winning touchdown. The only reason why I remembered that word was because anytime someone ran to one end of the field, everyone would yell it.

So, once Emmett got the ball, he threw it down the field, and Edward caught it. Then, he and Jasper started running to the other end, and then he scored a touchdown, winning the game.

Everyone started cheering, and I joined in too, so I didn't look like an even bigger idiot than I already felt.

When everyone started to clear the field and the bleachers, I told Alice and Rose that I would meet them back at the car, since I had to go to the bathroom. They agreed, so I went in search for the closest open bathroom. On my way back, I accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry," I said.

"No, no," the person said. I recognized it as a guy's voice. "It was all my fault." Whoever was speaking, their speech was slurred as if they'd been drinking.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go now," I replied and tried to move around whoever it was but they blocked me.

"Hey, Bella," they said. I immediately recognized it as Mike.

"Mike, how much have you had to drink?" I asked cautiously. I really didn't want to be there at that point; I had a very bad incident with alcohol already, and wasn't planning on another.

"Only…" he said, counting his fingers. "This many." Then he held up is hand showing me 4 fingers. "Oops, I forgot this one." Then I saw him down another beer, and chuck the bottle off to the side.

"Well, I have to go," I said, but again he stopped me.

"No," he said. "You have to stay, cause I have to tell you something real important."

"You can tell me later, when you're not drunk."

"I'm not drunk," he said laughing. "Let's go." Then he grabbed my wrist and started pulling me in the opposite direction of the parking lot. I tried to pull my arm from him, but he wouldn't let go.

"Mike, let go," I said. I didn't know how much more of that I could handle, before I completely broke down.

"Shh," he said putting his finger on my lips. "You have to be quiet." Then he led me to the side of the school and pushed me up against the building.

"Mike, please let go," I said, tears starting to flow down my cheeks.

"Come on beautiful," he said breathing onto my face. "I know you love me."

As soon as he said that, it reminded me of that night with T.J. I tried pushing him off of me and slapping his arm away, but he wouldn't budge.

I didn't know what else to do, so I screamed for help.

I couldn't fight the tears that were flowing down my cheeks, as I continued to scream, and push Mike away.

"Bella!" someone screamed. I could hear them running up to me.

I couldn't fight Mike any longer; he was too strong, just like T.J. had been.

"Get away from her!" he yelled, and soon after, I didn't feel trapped anymore.

I looked through my tears and found Edward with an angry and pained expression on his face. I hugged him and cried, staining his shirt with tears.

We stood there for a few minutes before the tears stopped coming.

"Bella, are you alright?" he asked. I nodded my head. "Let's go, everyone's waiting." Then he slung me onto his back like he had done the weekend before.

"I can walk, you know?" I said laughing.

"Oh I know," he replied smiling.

When we got to the parking lot, everyone was there waiting for us. Edward gently set me on the ground and Emmett pulled me into one of his bear hugs.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Lungs… need… air," I choked out between breaths.

"Sorry," he replied and let go. "Just don't run off again."

"I didn't run away, I was going to the bathroom," I said. "Who told you I ran off?"

"Well I assumed, because you weren't with Alice or Rose…"

"Jeez Em, I wouldn't run away," I replied rolling my eyes. "Calm down before Barney comes to eat you." Everyone started laughing.

"I told you I'm not afraid of Barney."

"Shall I refer you to the dream? "'Don't eat me Barney!'"

"Alright shut up." Then I smacked him on the arm, and Alice, Rosalie, and I went back to her car. I hopped in the back seat, while Alice sat in the front.

I was just about to ask Rose why we hadn't left yet, when Alice answered my unasked question.

"Edward is there something you need?" she asked. I looked over, and sure enough, Edward was standing at my side of the car, staring at me.

He walked over to the car, and crouched down so he was in front of me.

"Be safe," he whispered in my ear, and then he gently kissed me on the forehead before making his way back over to the Jeep and sliding in the passenger's seat. Of course I blushed, seeing as in that situation it couldn't be helped, and the fact that Rose and Alice were giggling in the front seat, didn't help much either.

Before we pulled out I noticed that Emmett decided he was riding in the open bed, standing up, while Jasper drove his precious Jeep back to the Cullen's house, leading the way.

I sent Edward a text message seeing as my two friends in the front seats couldn't look at me without giggling.

You do know that I'm coming back to your house right? And that we're right behind you? ~B

Not even five seconds later, I got a response.

I know

I couldn't help but smile when I read that.

As we pulled up to the house, I finally took it all in. It was huge and very beautiful. The whole house was painted a shade of white that was hard to determine since it was dark out. It only made me eager to see the inside even more.

We got out of the cars and made our way inside; I was right, it was even more beautiful.

"Did Carlisle and Esme go away for the weekend?" Rosalie asked, breaking me out of my trance.

"No, Carlisle's working the late shift, and Esme should be around here somewhere," Edward replied. As if on cue, a woman with caramel colored hair, and blue eyes stepped into the room.

"I thought I heard you guys," she said.

"Hi mom," Alice said. "This is Bella." Then she pointed to me, and she stepped forward and gave me a hug.

"Nice to meet you Bella," she said. "Alice has told me so much about you."

"Nice to meet you, too Mrs. Cullen," I said. "Your house is very beautiful."

"Thank you, and please call me Esme." I nodded. "So, are you guys hungry?" Emmett ran straight to where I guessed was the kitchen. We all laughed. "How about the rest of you?"

"I'm actually kind of tired," I said.

"Of course, dear," Esme said. "Alice, why don't you take her to the guestroom?"

"Sure!" she squealed. "C'mon on Bella." Then I followed her upstairs.

Alice pointed out certain rooms, making sure I knew which one was hers, and then took me to the third floor.

She took me to a door at the end of the hallway, revealing a bedroom around the same size as my own.

"This is your room," she said. "If you need anyone, Edward's room is right down the hall." My eyes popped out of my head. So that's why Alice took me up here.

"Thanks Alice," I said. She gave me a hug, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I quickly got ready for bed, and laid down on the huge one placed in the center of the room.

Truthfully, I wasn't tired at all; I just wanted to be away from everyone. I know that sounds rude, when I'm not even in my own house, but after the night I had just had, I was in no mood to be around anyone.

After what seemed like minutes of staring at the ceiling, I felt my eyes slowly begin to close. I snuck a quick glance at the clock, and realized that it was midnight, before letting sleep takeover.

I was laying down in a meadow, filled with different flowers; it was beautiful.

It was one of those rare sunny days, so I closed my eyes and tried to absorb as much sun as possible. All of a sudden I heard a noise. I opened my eyes, and sat up, searching for the source. Then my eyes fell upon it; T.J., and I wasn't in the meadow anymore; I was back at Beth's house.

"T.J. stop!" I yelled. He kept coming closer, and I was backed up against a wall; there was nothing I could do.

I was shaking violently as I was crying uncontrollably. I curled myself into a ball as he came closer.

Once T.J. was right in front of me, he crouched down, and grabbed my face roughly.

"You were always a shy one, baby," he said. "But I've always loved that about you."

"Please…" I begged. "Don't do this."

"But I thought you loved me," he said. I kept pushing him away from me, while screaming for Matt to help me. "I always knew you loved Matt."

My eyes shot open as I took in my surroundings. Everyone was in my room, staring at me with concern on their faces. I curled myself into a ball, and cried into whoever was next to me. I felt them wrap their arms around me and knew immediately that it was Edward.

When I stopped crying, Esme came forward and sat down next to me.

"Bella, are you alright?" she asked. I was surprised. I had just met her and already she seemed genuinely concerned about me.

I knew right then that I was going to have to tell them; I couldn't keep it hidden any longer. So, I shook my head 'no' and pleaded for Rosalie to help me. She acknowledged my glance, and sat down next to Esme.

"M-my… l-last… b-boyfriend was drunk," I stuttered, holding in the tears. "And h-he tr-tried to…" I couldn't finish. I looked at Rosalie, and silently told her that it was okay if she told them.

"He tried to rape her," she finished in a whisper. I heard Esme gasp, and Edward's grip on me tightened. I couldn't understand why, but it was very comforting, knowing that he was there.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," Esme said. She came forward, and Edward let go so she could hug me. "If you ever need anything, we're here for you."

"Thank you," I said. Then she pulled away from me, and looked me straight in the eyes. Esme was very caring, and although I barely knew her, I already saw her as a second mom to me.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" she asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to." I nodded my head. "Do you have these nightmares all the time?"

Surprisingly, I didn't at all mind answering this question. Even though it was very personal, I wanted to tell everyone, in hopes that I would get better.

"Well," I started. "I only seem to get them if someone says anything that reminds me of him," I paused. "Or touches me the wrong way." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward flinch as I mentioned this, knowing that he had done that unintentionally.

Esme nodded her head in understanding, and I could tell that she wanted to know what had been the cause.

I looked around to see if anyone else knew, but by the looks on their faces, the only one that did was Edward.

"It happened again," I said, and looked down. I wrapped my arms around my legs, and pulled myself into a tight ball on the bed.

"SON OF A…!" Emmett yelled.

"EMMETT!" Esme yelled. "Language!"

"Sorry Esme," he said. Then he came over to me and picked me up, squishing me into a tighter ball.

"Emmett, put me down," I whined.

"Not a chance, Belly," he said and laughed.

I looked at Jasper who had an evil grin on his face that could match my own. I looked at him confused, and then he pulled out a Barney doll from behind his back. I had to try really hard not to laugh.

"Hey Em, Jasper got a present for you," I said.

"Fork it over Razzles," he said to him.

"Alright, close your eyes," Jasper replied. Emmett closed his eyes, and Jasper stuck the Barney doll right in his face. "Okay, open."

Then next thing I knew, I was lying face down on the floor, while Emmett screamed and ran out of the room. Obviously, everyone was too busy laughing to notice me on the floor, which, despite the fact that I was angry, I couldn't help but laugh either.

Once I stopped laughing, I got up off of the floor and walked over to Jasper. Then, I smacked him on the head.

"Ow! What did I do!?" he yelled.

"You could have at least let Emmett put me down before you shoved the stupid stuffed animal in his face," I replied.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay. Just warn me next time." He nodded his head.

I yawned, and realization came over me, as I realized I had no idea what time it was.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Two thirty," Alice replied. Wow, how long was I sleeping. "In the morning."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Bella, don't apologize," Esme said. "You were having a nightmare. Emmett was actually the one who felt something was wrong and woke us all up." Twin telepathy does come in handy.

"Okay," I replied looking down. I yawned again.

"Get some sleep, you had a rough night," Esme said. Then she gave me a hug and left the room, with everyone else following her.

"Edward," I called after everyone else left. He turned around to face me. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I needed to tell him what happened. It had been bothering me all week.

He nodded his head, closed the door, and sat back down on the bed.

I then told him everything, sparing no details. Surprisingly, I didn't cry this time, and it made me think that I was finally getting over it.

"That's the real reason why I left," I said. "T.J. just wouldn't leave me alone. He kept calling me, and trying to catch me alone in the hallway. I knew he didn't really care anyway, because I caught him making out with some girl in the hallway. Matt and his girlfriend Kayla were there for me the whole time.

"Then, one day it just got to be too much, so I left. I told my mom that I was moving to Forks so she could travel with Phil, and told Charlie that I missed him and Emmett, which was true, and spent the next week packing. To be honest, I don't think I ever really loved him; he didn't know anything about me."

I couldn't look at him when I told him this; it would have made it that much harder.

I was interrupted in my thoughts when I felt two strong arms around me, and I immediately hugged him back.

"Bella, you didn't have to tell me that," he said.

"Yes, I did Edward," I replied. "You needed to know."

"If I needed to know, why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked, pulling away from me. I looked up at him, but he was staring down at his hands.

"Because I was scared," I answered. "I wasn't ready to let anyone else in. You saw how hard it was for me earlier. I was scared to tell my parents, and my brother. Jasper and Rose had to tell Emmett. I just- I didn't trust you. I was afraid that if I got too close…"

I didn't realize I was crying until Edward wiped the tears away.

I looked up at him, and he was looking at me with this look in his eyes that I didn't recognize.

"Are you afraid that I would do that to you?" he asked. Honestly, I wasn't sure anymore. I couldn't even look at him. But when I tried to look away, he gently placed his hand under my chin, and I looked back up at him. "Bella, I may have been a jerk before, but I would never do that to someone; especially not to you." I knew right then, that he had in fact changed. I wasn't sure why, but he did.

Then I hugged him.

"Do you trust me now?" he asked, pulling away from me. I nodded my head, seeing as I was at a loss for words. Then he smiled his signature crooked smile that made my heart flutter, and I smiled back.

I yawned, and crawled back under the covers of the bed. Edward gently kissed me on the forehead again.

"Goodnight Bella," he whispered and then proceeded to walk out of the room.

"Edward?" I called.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Thank you," I replied. He just smiled again, and closed the door.

I can honestly say, that I fell asleep, feeling the happiest I had ever felt in a long time.