Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight and unfortunately, never will.

Ruthless

Chapter 14: Confessions of a Stoner

[Bella's POV]

I felt a strange combination of anger, fear, and embarrassment as Edward carried me back to the house. Thankfully, though, anger was the loudest, with fear coming to a close second. I was so fucking close! I should've expected the guards and Edward both coming after me. This boy was relentless. He was obviously not going to let go of me so easily after the amount of money he paid for me. A part of me was scared to deal with his reaction to my attempted escape. He was clearly not happy, that much was obvious from his grim silence and the narrowed glares he'd sent me before. Though, I could hear his heart pounding rapidly and could feel is thumping against the side of my body. One of the first things I'd noticed when he'd taken me in my arms is that he was shirtless, it was impossible not to feel his warm, hard body pressed against me.

I let a whimper escape my lips as my ankle throbbed, reminding me of my foolish mistake. Edward gave me no reaction except for the slight tightening of his arms around my shoulders and legs. The asshole was probably getting some sick sense of satisfaction out of my pain.

The entire house was lit up, serving as a beacon for my warden and my extreme discomfort. I really didn't want to look everyone in the face with the knowledge that I couldn't even get past their backyard.

As Edward turned the knob of the front door with one hand, the other gripped me tightly against him. I squinted at the sudden bright light and interally groaned when my vision finally cleared to show Carlisle and Esme standing in the foyer. Carlisle had a look of utmost disappointment, which quite honestly, I shouldn't let bother me. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I just didn't want to be a prisoner to a condescending asshole the rest of my life.

The expression on Esme's face is what killed me though. She wasn't looking at me with disappointment like her husband, nope. She looked…ashamed? What. The. Hell. This fucking woman. She actually looked more disappointed with herself than with me, and that's what hurt me. None of this was her fault. She shouldn't be feeling as such. I seriously hoped I was misreading her, but the emotions were written as clear as day on her beautifully graceful face.

"She hurt her ankle," Edward told his father, striding past him without stopping and straight up the stairs.

Instead of taking me to the room that had been mine for the past couple days, he went right up to the third floor and gently laid me on his own bed. I peered up at him with wide, confused eyes, but he wouldn't look at me. Instead, he stood by the window and glared out at the moon. His parents followed us into the room and Esme stayed by the door while Carlisle came around to my side of the bed.

"I'm going to roll up your pant sleeves, Bella," Carlisle said quietly, his hands hovering over my injured leg.

I nodded silently, sort of baffled as to why I wasn't being yelled at, but it was probably better not to mention it. Never look a gift horse in the ass or something like that.

The pretty doctor poked and prodded at my ankle, but his form obstructed the view as he leant over my foot throughout the entire examination. I "ow"-ed and "ah"-ed at all the appropriate places, unintentionally throwing in a shriek or wince here and there. Whenever I made a louder noise, Esme would quietly gasp or sniffle. I was afraid to see if she was tearing up, instead keeping my gaze on Edward's back.

"It's not twisted," Carlisle announced finally.

"Really?" I choked out. I was pretty sure I had twisted my ankle and screwed myself over for a long damn time.

He smiled wryly and pointed out, "You would've been in a hell lot more pain if that were the case."

Oh. Very true. Fuck, yes.

"There is, however, a very deep gash over the ankle bone," he continued, cutting my inner celebration short. "It's bled profusely through your pants and part of the bone is sticking out, which is why it's hurting so much."

Ew. Gross. I shuddered as I tried not to think about how disgusting the bone peeking through muscle looked like.

"I'll wrap it up to stop the bleeding and Edward can get you something for the pain. Tomorrow, I'll have stronger pain medication prescribed to you, but until then, make do with what we have here."

Wow, super sketchy. I nodded and laid back as Carlisle did his doctor thing. Edward still hadn't moved a single muscle, but I was hoping he'd make a move to get me back to my own room.

"I'll help you change into something more comfortable," Esme offered when Carlisle finished wrapping up the wound. She wouldn't meet my eyes but gave me a small smile. "Edward, get Bella some water and something for the pain."

Once it was just the two of us in the room, she held up a pair of long basketball shorts and explained, "This is Edwards since it's long enough to cover most of your legs. Sweats would irritate the wound because it's still fresh and adding heat to the area would increase the bleeding. Edward sleeps with the window open so this way your legs will be warm but your injury will be cool."

I gaped at her for a couple seconds before spluttering, "Excuse me? Aren't I going back to my room?"

She shook her head and said quietly, "No one quite trusts you to be on your own for now. I also know my son, he may be rude and stubborn at times, but he won't harm you. I raised him well enough to teach him to never lay an unwanted hand on a woman."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. She raised a fucking deviant. Edward was an asshole and I'm pretty sure he had no problems putting his fingers on me. Especially considering how much trouble I was probably in for tonight.

She helped me sit up and propped a shit load of pillows behind my back to support me. Then she pulled my cargo pants down, with me blushing for no reason of course, and gently pulled them over the bandage. Her every movement was so gentle, it made my heart ache. Every cell in this woman's body screamed mother and me, the severely mother-deprived girl, was craving her affection. I balled my hands into fists to stop myself from pulling her into a hug. It had been so long since I'd had a proper hug, especially a motherly one. After helping me into Edward's shorts, she sat down on the edge of the bed and smoothed down the covers over my legs. She looked nervous as she looked up at me and gave me a watery smile.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, biting her lip for a second. It was the strangest thing to see a crack in Esme's composure.

"For what?"

"I know you're not happy right now," she said forlornly. "I know in my heart that you will someday be happy here, with us, with Edward, but right now this isn't what you want. I wish there was some way to show you the man under Edward's tough exterior, the man I raised him to be."

"Esme, please," I began, but she shook her head and stroked my jaw adoringly.

"I know it's hard to believe right now, but you'll see eventually. He had a very traumatic childhood and it will always kill me that I couldn't protect my child from the horrors of this world. It's no excuse for his behavior so far, but that's his defense mechanism. Unfortunately, he's so used to keeping his walls up, that this is the personality he's molded himself into. I truly believe that you'll be able to break through those walls."

"M-me?" I stammered and felt a cold sweat go through my body. "Esme, he hates me. I'm the last person he would open himself up to."

To my surprise, she chuckled slightly and smiled at me encouragingly. "If he hated you, you wouldn't be here tonight. He chose you for a reason, one that may not be clear for now. My Edward needs someone to rely on, a strong, independent woman who will support him. In turn, I promise you, he will have your back and support your dreams. Given his past experiences, he believes in the Freedom Age as much as his sanity will allow him."

"What does that mean?"

"I wish I could tell you, to make you understand, but it isn't my story to tell. Give him a chance to prove himself a capable husband to you. Don't give up so soon."

A sharp knock on the door started me, but Esme just smiled and pressed a kiss to my forehead before getting up. Before she could open the door for Edward, I called out to her.

"I'm sorry about hurting you tonight. It wasn't my intention. I just wanted to get out of this marriage."

"You wouldn't be Renée's daughter if you hadn't tried."

Esme's words stuck in my mind even when Edward handed me a bottle of icy water and I only looked up at him when he placed an ice pack against my wound. I hissed at the sudden coldness and watched curiously as he came around to the other side of the bed and shuffled around in his bedside cabinet.

"What the-"

I watched in shock as he pulled out a baggie of weed, a Zippo classic lighter, and a glass bong. Without paying me any mind, he started grinding the weed and packing the bowl of the bong. Then, he took the light and sparked the weed, inhaling deeply until the bowl was empty of even ashes. He packed another bowl and turned to me with a lazy smirk, holding the bong out.

"Are you serious?" I gaped, not making a move to take it.

"This will help with the pain," he explained, grinning the entire time. "Safest way to self-medicate."

"I don't smoke."

"You and Rosalie used to smoke cigarettes like nobody's business. You gonna pussy out on me now?"

I glared at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not stupid enough to smoke myself into a vulnerable state where you can have your filthy way with me."

"Sweetheart, this is medical grade purple kush. Both of us will be passed out soon enough and I'm gonna need a lot more time to have my filthy way with you," he said smugly. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait for our wedding night to corrupt me."

"Corrupt you?" I snorted, all unladylike and winced when the throbbing in my ankle peaked momentarily.

He batted his ridiculously long eyelashes at me and pouted, "I'm an innocent, impressionable young man, completely at the mercy of a sensuous, hot-blooded woman."

"Innocent, my ass," I scoffed, but grabbed the bong and lighter from him. There was no way I could sleep with the amount of pain I was in, and even I knew how amazing of sleep purple kush gave one. I'd never personally tried it, but Rosalie had told me all about it before. "Do criminals not keep Tylenol in their medicine cabinets?"

"Cute, but dad will prescribe you a strong painkiller tomorrow so you can mostly float fucking high through the pain," he said with a laugh.

Edward watched closely as I took a hit of the bong and let the sweet flavour of this strain flood my lungs. His bloodshot eyes sparkled mischievously when I handed him the bong.

"Don't look so pleased," I grumbled. "So you going to handcuff me to the bed or something?"

He barked out a laugh and took another hit of weed before answering me. "Never thought you'd be so kinky, princess."

I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to punch his shoulder. That would be entirely too "friendly" and that was way out of my comfort zone because we were definitely NOT friends.

"I'm not exactly stoked about sharing a bed with you, but I'm also not keen on sleeping on the floor with this injury. So keep your fucking hands to yourself."

"Yes, m'am."

Cheeky bastard.

We spent the next couple minutes in surprisingly comfortable silence. I was floating into a drowsy sort of state and my limbs were already feeling heavy. Edward's tolerance was a lot higher since he took double the hits I did and wasn't any more higher than me. He seemed like a very functional stoner, something I unfortunately would never be. I watched as he pulled out what seemed like a sketchbook and began drawing in it. I tried several times to catch a look, but he would pull it out of my reach just a split second before I could. He seemed to anticipate my every movement, something that baffled me in our current state.

"Why are you such a dick?"

Smooth, Bella. Real smooth. The one fucking thing Esme tells you he's sensitive about you and go blurt it out when you're both high as fucking kites.

His hand stopped moving for a second, but he continued his ministrations without another word. He waited another couple seconds before answering me.

"Why are you such a bitch?"

"Uh because I'm being forced into a sham of a marriage with an abusive criminal?" Duh.

He put the pencil down and turned to look at me with a pensive expression. I felt my cheeks flush with heat, but I waited for him to say something.

"Do you really think I'd actually hit you?"

"Well considering you haven't hesitated about giving me death threats and leaving bruises on my arms with your hulk grip," I hedged, sort of shrugging in a "well, you know" kind of way.

He huffed and grabbed his pencil again.

"You know exactly how to trigger my temper," he grumbled. "I wouldn't hit you though. I don't hurt women or children. I mean, unless their the ones trying to kill me."

Uh. Oh. Okay?

"Does that happen often?" I raised a brow at him, sort of confused with his nonchalance.

"You'd be surprised at how many female assassins and gang leaders there are in this business," he replied with a small shake of his head.

"Oh."

"Mhm."

I waited another couple minutes before asking, "What are you drawing?"

"Why are you so against this marriage?"

I groaned and glared up at the swirling ceiling. Damn, this shit was strong. My whole both was buzzing with a heaviness of sorts and I was going to knock out any minute now.

"I value my freedom too much."

"Alright, let's say I rip up the contract and you go off on your merry way. What then?" he posed.

"Well, I'll finish my schooling and go to college. Earn a degree, a nice job, and live my fucking life to my own liking," I listed, ticking off each item on my hand. "Did you know your hair is likable to a penny?"

"Yes, I do have a certain fondness for Canadian currency. How the fuck are you going to pay for university? Assuming your father signs your emancipation documents, of course."

"Well he would if someone would just tell me where you fuckers are hiding him," I pointed out with a roll of my eyes. "I don't know, I'll work and save up."

"It'll take you years to earn the sort of money you need for college, and that even, with just a high school diploma," he said matter-of-factly, pausing his drawing to glance over at my sluggish form. "What the fuck are you doing?"

I looked away from my hand, which I'd been poking for the last two minutes and giggling at the rippling sensations it'd caused. "Excuse you."

"Thank you, princess. You do realize that the tuition for women is double the tuition for men, right?"

"Stop calling me that," I whined loudly and pouted. "I'm aware of how fucked up all this is, but I'll make it work. Somehow. I hope."

I watched through hooded eyes as he got up to put his sketchbook and pencil away. I whimpered a little when he put the bong and weed again and raised my arm in a half-assed attempt to stop him.

"You're about to pass out," he told me before turning the lights off. I listened as he padded across the room and got into med next to me. I freaked out a little on the inside when I felt him move my pillows around so I could lay down, but my body was too heavy for me to physically flinch. Haha my soul flinched, I guess. Rad. Hehe, Bella, no one uses Rad or hehe's anymore. You're so lame.

Once I was settled comfortably, he said quietly, "Fuckin' hell. I wouldn't stop you from going to college."

"What?" That got through to me in my sluggish state, but my mind struggled to catch up.

"If college is what you fucking want, I'd make it happen."

I was quiet for a minute, and he'd just let out a sigh and was starting to turn over to face the other way when I finally spoke.

"You would finance my eduation?"

"I would. That's your dream, right? Attending college and getting a job on your own merit?"

"Yeah," I whispered, feeling my eyes begin to pool. "Why?"

"Everyone has the mind for great fucking things. Some just don't have the opportunities to live up to their potential. I have the money, so why the fuck not?"

"That…that is the wisest and kindest thing you've ever said to me," I admitted, wiping at my face even though he couldn't see my tears in the dark. "You seriously don't want me to play housewife and pop out six little criminals?"

"If I wanted a submissive, trophy wife, I would pick a high ranking government official's daughter or a mafia princess," he said with a chuckle. "You've got a spark in you. Something that's died out in every other bitch."

"Ah, there it is." I smiled.

"What? Did you really expect me to go that long without calling someone a bitch or fucker?"

"You wouldn't be Edward Cullen if you did."

I know this is a lot shorter than last time, but I really wanted to end it there. It's 2am here and I'm about to pass out, but I really wanted to get this chapter out to you guys before the morning. I know this wasn't a heavy chapter, but the plot will definitely pick up in the next chapter. Just wanted to reveal a bit more about this Edward.

Please review if you liked this chapter and let me know what you think of it. I read every single review and each one makes my day. Absolutely love your kind words, they're actually what motivated me to stay up this late to finish this chapter. Will try to update in the next week, love ya!

P.S. Check out my new blog! I'll be updating that soon too with a lot more content and would love feedback on my first post! The link is in my profile and also below. I'll be posting some writing tips, updates on my writing, and just general advice about health/lifestyle and my personal experiences.

shaycafeblog . wordpress . com