A/N: Hello my readers! You make me so happy with your kind words! Shout out to twilight0602! You've have been so sweet and I'm so thrilled you're obsessed with the story! It makes me so happy because I have read several stories that I'm obsessed with and I never imagined I could write one that people would enjoy! So thank you! Also, shout out to serenity1006! Thank you so much for your incredible review! You are analyzing the story and characters so well. I can't give any spoilers, but you are very intuitive and I like it. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! :)

Also, one of you mentioned the story Chances by Taoistelf and I love that story too! That story really inspired me to write my own characters in a dark way. That version of Jacob was definitely a lot more intimidating and animalistic! That story is amazing and I don't think I could ever write one as well as that author! Hehe but thank you for the kind words!

One more thing (sorry), in case you ever wonder where I get my ideas, this chapter was actually inspired by the Broadway musical 'In the Heights' by Lin Manuel Miranda, the very genius behind 'Hamilton.' There is a song on the album titled 'The Club' and it really captures the chaos and over-stimulation of a club and it inspired me to write this chapter, but with a twist. I highly recommend listening to 'In the Heights.'

Disclaimer:
All recognizable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. I do not make money from this.

Trigger Warning:
Events related to sexual assault and aggression. All events are strictly fictional and are not based off of any particular experience.

Chapter 14: The Club

"Oh I hate it," I groaned as she clamped the eyelash curler onto my lashes.

"Shh. You're gonna look hot," Phoenix said with a smile in her voice.

I had my eyes clenched the whole fucking time. The number one reason I never wore make up was because of the torture device that was an eyelash curler.

"Okay you have to open your eyes for this part," she said firmly.

"Are you gonna put the mascara on?"

"Yeah."

"Then fuck no."

"Bella."

"Phoenix."

"Don't be such a pussy," she giggled and tried to pry my eyes open with her fingers.

I slapped her hand away, my eyes still firmly shut. "Hey, the vagina is one of the strongest and most resilient parts of the human body. Try again."

She laughed. "Ok, ok. Don't be such a ball sack. Please, Bella?"

I giggled thinking of the comment Jared had made earlier that week. "This is stupid. I don't want to. You can't force me," I crossed my arms like a petulant little child.

I squeaked when something sharp pinched my left nipple. My eyes flew open. "Hey what the fuck?" I shouted. "Leah!" I growled as she quickly jumped away from me and walked out of the room.

"That's what happens when you keep your eyes shut!" she called back to me. "Listen to Phoenix," she scolded.

Dammit. What Phoenix wants, Phoenix gets. According to Leah, at least.

I sighed heavily. "Just make it quick," I grumbled and bugged my eyes open for her.

She smirked and carefully smudged black goo all over my top lashes.

After a week of being on the Jacob rollercoaster, Leah had convinced me to go out with her and Phoenix to their favorite club in Port Angeles. This time, it was just a girl's night out. Leah had more planned this week for me and Jacob to try and have a civil conversation. Of course, that didn't happen because our plans on Thursday were completely ruined. I joined the pack for an insane video game tournament at Rachel and Paul's house. However, Jacob was a no show. I couldn't say I was surprised. I was a real fucking bitch to him. But, hey, he deserved it. He was way too comfortable with pushing me around. It made me fucking sick. So Leah thought it would be best to take my mind off of it.

On another note, Phoenix was ready to dive back into night life and Leah was happy to oblige as long as she got to go with her. Despite the Jacob incident two weeks prior, Phoenix seemed to be doing just fine. She was strong and resilient. I had dealt with many sexual assault victims at the shelter. For many, it took months to get them to feel comfortable in that type of setting. And for many others, they didn't ever put themselves in that situation again. However, Phoenix was able to continue to go about her life and do things that she enjoyed without the anxieties and fears that women would typically face. She had Leah by her side. How could she not be okay?

"Okay, time to get dressed," Phoenix grinned, an evil little sparkle in her eye.

She stood me in front of her closet as she rifled through the hangers. She had several options. Skimpy dresses, sun dresses, skirts, fluffy blouses, tanks, even some gowns. Her closet was a thing of nightmares, for me at least. She fingered through the skimpy dresses, and my heart lurched with pure dread. I couldn't possibly picture myself in anything like that. I spotted one that seemed to be made of only black straps. I shuddered as I tried not to think of the shoes that went with it.

She stopped pulling through the hangers to look over her shoulder and examine me. Her eyes scanned my body as if I was a complicated math equation. She turned back to her dresses. "Okay, well most of these won't do. You're freaking tiny," she grumbled and slid the majority of her hangers across the bar and reached into the depths of her closet.

Please don't let her find anything. I secretly crossed my fingers.

She mumbled lowly to herself. "No, no, no," she scoffed. "Hell no. No. Not your shade," she sighed and clicked her tongue. "Okay, I have a few dresses from high school. I was a little less," she gestured to her curvy figure.

I giggled as she wiggled her hips.

"I think this one could work," she said and carefully pulled out a dress that had been pushed into the darkest corner of her closet.

"It should fit," she grinned and turned to face me. She held a forest green mini dress. The neckline dipped low and had the thinnest straps I had ever seen.

"You wore this in high school?" I asked warily. I tried not to judge, but I would have been caught dead it in.

She giggled. "Hey, I wasn't a saint. Still not," she shrugged and held it out to me.

"Uh, no way," I frowned and pushed her hand away.

She gave me a stern look and thrust it at me again.

I shook my head. "No."

She raised her eyebrows. "Don't make me call Leah," she threatened.

I narrowed my eyes at her and grabbed the hanger out of her hands. "Fine. Geez. But I won't like it," I grumbled and stalked out of the room to go change in the bathroom.

I heard her chipper laugh as I stomped down the hallway. This was not going to be fun. What Phoenix wants, Phoenix gets. If not, prepare to face the wrath of Leah.

I stared at the dress as it laid on the counter.

I couldn't remember the last time I wore a dress.

Well, that wasn't true. I could remember the last time I wore a dress.

I clenched my eyes.

Rain. Howling. Blurry eyes. Yellow eyes. Howling. Pain. Helpless. Pain.

Fuck. I hadn't felt that dread and anxiety in days. Of course it decided to show up again.

There was a knock at the door.

"Bella, you okay?" Leah said quietly from the other side.

I unclenched my hands from the sink. "Uh, yeah why?" I breathed.

"Uh, your heart was pounding really fast," she said softly.

Damn wolf senses.

"I'll be out in a minute," I croaked.

I heard her footsteps fade down the hall.

I quickly shed my jeans and t-shirt. I pulled the dress off the hanger and quickly slipped it over my body. Alright, bra was not an option. I unhooked it and slid it off my arms. I didn't need the thing anyway.

I could only see half my body in the mirror. From what I could tell, the forest green shade made my pale skin stand out. The thin straps clung delicately on my shoulders. The neckline dipped right between my breasts, covering me but just barely. My eyes looked doll like. And my cheeks were pink. My lips looked soft and full. But, I didn't look over done. Without another glance, I flicked off the light, gathered my clothes, and slipped out of the bathroom.

I hesitantly walked back into Phoenix's room where the girls were putting the last touches on their faces and outfits.

Phoenix was wearing a fiery red mini dress that hugged and shaped her physique perfectly. The color made her bronze skin almost glow. The neckline of her dress dipped further than mine did, and she had the boobs to go with it. We couldn't all be so lucky. Her hair was draped silkily down her back like it always was. Of course she looked beautiful. She wore a pair of simple black heels which put her several inches taller than me, just like how I met her. She had dark, sultry make up on that she could pull off easily. Luckily, she went easy on me.

Leah, of course, was showing off her supernatural beauty. It really was unfair. Phoenix did give her a run for her money, though. Leah wore a simple black dress that was just enough the cover the tops of her thighs. Her dress had a flirty slit cut on the side that showed off even more of her toned, left leg. Her neckline went straight across her chest, but she still looked incredible and, well, hot. The thin straps of her dress were so dainty, and her collarbones shimmered beneath them. She also wore a pair of deathtraps on her feet, but they weren't as high as Phoenix's. She was already tall as hell. Her makeup was natural, like mine, but enough to make her seem more ethereal, other worldly.

"Wow," I breathed. "You guys look great." That was an understatement.

Phoenix giggled as she secured a shimmering earring onto her ear. "Thanks, Bitch. But, you, Miss Bella look sexy."

Leah nodded as she ran her fingers through her hair, a smirk on her lips.

I sniffed a laugh. "Right. Pasty, tiny, and-"

"Bella," Leah scolded and stepped forward to shift my hair around my shoulders. "You look great. Don't put yourself down," she said, a serious look in her eye.

"Yeah, you already look fucking fantastic and you haven't even put your shoes on yet," Phoenix said as she pulled a pair of black heels out of her closet.

My eyes widened. "No. No. I am not wearing those," I squeaked.

"Bella," Phoenix whined and dangled the heels from her fingers.

"Bella," Leah said, more of a warning than a whine.

I clenched my eyes. "I'm gonna fall and twist my damn ankle. I haven't worn heels since…" I swallowed and looked at Leah.

Understanding dawned on her. She nodded. "I know," she said gently. "But Bella. You are a single lady now. You deserve to take back what's yours. This body, this beauty, it's all you. Do this for yourself. You deserve a night out to have fun. Don't let the past hold you back from that."

I eyed the heels again. They looked painful.

"Your feet will go numb soon enough. Don't worry," Phoenix grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Do it before I change my mind," I mumbled and stuck out my bare foot.

Phoenix quickly kneeled before me and grabbed my ankle. She carefully slid on the heel that stretched out my arch to oblivion. She secured the cuff around my ankle. "These should be a little easier on you. You won't have to worry about slipping out of them," she said and put my foot down. I grabbed onto her shoulders as she slid on the other shoe. I could already feel the pressure building on the ball of my foot.

This was gonna be a rough night.

/

"Okay, remember ladies, no drinking, no making bad decisions, and no getting into fights with men," Leah said firmly as she hooked her arms around Phoenix and myself.

We were walking down the sidewalk and were approaching closer to the pulsing music of the club.

"That's not fun," Phoenix whined, earning a look from me. "I meant the drinking part," she grumbled.

I sighed. "I won't drink. Can't promise about the fighting part," I said as I hobbled on my pointy shoes. Leah and Phoenix might as well have been wearing sneakers.

Leah laughed. "Bella, you need to take a break once in a while. This is about having fun."

"But kneeing predators in the groin is fun," I shot back. "And what if someone needs help?"

"If someone needs help you let me take care of it, okay? You are off duty tonight."

I sighed again. It wasn't in my nature. But, I would try.

After Phoenix talked our way into the club, we clung close to each other as we moved deeper into the building. The music was deafening and pounding deep into my body. The amount of people was almost claustrophobic. The flashing lights were disorienting. So basically, a predator's playground.

I bit my lip and kept my arm firmly around Leah's. I didn't typically go out into clubs very often. The vibe was too aggressive at times. Bars, although they were rowdy, were much more manageable to me. I wouldn't ever venture into a club without my team, so this was a first for me, at least since my partying days.

I caught the several looks of men as they dragged their eyes over the three of us. We parted groups and held the gaze of men who were practically drooling. I usually didn't attract this attention in my usual attire. I felt almost naked. I'm sure they were already picturing that. I pushed the anger away and held my tongue. I would give anything to slap those looks off their faces. We weren't pieces of meat. To them we might as well have been. Objects.

I swallowed my irritation. As long as they didn't touch us.

As we made our way to an empty table around the dancing and grinding bodies of the dance floor, we just about made it until an idiot made the worst decision of his life. As we passed the people sitting at the bar, some sleazeball whipped his hand out and grabbed a handful of Phoenix's ass. She lurched forward in surprise and before any of us could react, Leah shot her wrist out and knocked him in the throat. He doubled over in pain and she grabbed our arms and continued to pull us forward. I turned back to see him holding his throat in pain. His eyes flashed up to me, green and menacing.

I quickly turned around and stared wide eyed at Leah.

"Holy shit," I shouted as she led us to the table.

She smirked at me and shrugged.

We settled onto our seats and Phoenix looked disgruntled to say the least. "What a dick," she mouthed and rolled her eyes. We couldn't really hear each other well so I think that's what she said.

Leah just patted her shoulder and Phoenix relaxed immediately. She smiled at Leah and pushed her hair behind her ear.

Leah's eyes sparkled at her and she grinned back. The amount of love in her eyes was obvious. And Phoenix saw it too.

Phoenix nervously smoothed her dress and turned her attention to the wild dancing in front of us.

I eyed Leah. She was smiling like an idiot. Something happened just now. She leaned back in her chair and watched Phoenix out of the corner of her eye. She looked almost smug. She felt my eyes on her and turned to me.

I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes, that smile still in place and turned back to watch the dancing and Phoenix.

I giggled and began to scan the room. It was a habit. I needed to take notice of the people fading into the background. I scanned the dark corners and looked for any suspicious behavior.

As my eyes focused in on the far corner of the club, something moved into my line of sight.

My eyes refocused on it. A man. I fought my disgust as he smiled down at me.

He leaned down towards me and shouted above the music, "Want to dance?"

I fought the urge to lean away and was about to reject him until Leah kicked my foot under the table. I whipped around to look at her. She nodded encouragingly at me.

I looked back at him. He had tousled brown hair and a scruffy beard. His face was open and friendly. He was actually quite handsome. He held his hand out to me and as much as I didn't want to, I pushed away my fear. I placed my hand in his warm one and he gave me a bright grin, his teeth white and straight. He pulled me gently up and steadied me as I wobbled slightly on my heels.

He guided me out into the middle of the wiggling bodies, enveloping me in human heat and sweat. The music pulsed heavily in my ears and chest.

He smirked as he spun me quickly and pulled me close to him. He had a strong cologne that tickled the inside of my nose. He held me firmly around my waist and began to move his hips against me. He was copying what most people were doing around us, and was actually quite tame compared to some of the other couples. Girls were bending over in front of their men, the guys grabbing and pulsing against their butts. Others were grinding against each other hard, gripping one another, moving to the music. I took a deep breath. This was about having fun right? Luckily, I had a few of my women teach how to pass as an okay dancer. The last time I danced at a club, I was drunk off my ass. So, fully sober and aware of my actions, I started to move my hips against him.

He grinned lazily and gripped my hips tighter. He held me close and dragged his eyes down my body and watched my hips move along with his. Piece of meat. That's what I felt like. I gave him a friendly smile back and tried to at least enjoy myself. Most gentlemen who ask you to dance turn out to be assholes I wasn't surprised by his behavior.

Then he quickly twisted me in his arms and held me firmly against him. I gasped as he gripped my hips, his hands traveling across my navel. He trailed his nose across my bare shoulder and pressed a kiss there. Gross.

I quickly shifted my hair over that shoulder, shoving my strands into his face. He chuckled lowly in my ear, making me shiver in disgust. He switched his face to the other shoulder and pulled me closer. I felt him grow hard. Disgusting asshole. He didn't even know me. He didn't give a shit that he didn't even know my name. But he had no problem grabbing me the way that he was.

No fighting. No fighting. We were just dancing it's fine.

But then I felt his hands travel from my hips and down my thighs. My hips stilled just slightly. His fingers hooked underneath my dress and trailed up to grope my crotch.

I sucked in a sharp breath and yanked myself away from him. He could touch my hips. We were dancing for crying out loud. I expected it. But we were not in some cheap motel room. We didn't even fucking know each other. But he wanted to touch the most intimate part of my body.

I turned to look at him and he looked at me in alarm and something else. Anger? Then he lunged forward and tried to twist me around again to pull me back against him. I fought against his grasp and as a reflex, shot my elbow out and plunged it into his solar plexus. He doubled over and I quickly jumped away from him and shoved through the thick mass of people grinding against one another. I disappeared into the crowd hoping he didn't see where I went. I pushed against them until I made it out of the dance floor.

I quickly scanned the area and I realized I ran to the other side of the club. The disorienting lights messed with my sense of direction. Fuck. I dance with one guy, get groped, and separate completely from my group.

I hobbled around people as they moved throughout the club. People were handling drinks and walking with their partners. I found the lights and bustling of the bar and walked passed, finally getting my sense of direction back.

I could almost see the area where our table was when an iron grip clamped onto my wrist. I reflexively tried to yank it back, but my feet slipped against the slick floor. The grip pulled me back and I was staring into the furious face of the dude Leah hit in the throat. He had my dominant hand in his grip, his hold so tight, the blood flow was getting cut off. I attempted to shove my left heel of my hand into his nose but his hand shot out and stopped me before I could.

He grinned evilly at me and shoved himself off the barstool and gathered me close to him. "Your bitch ain't here to save you now," he hissed in my ear and quickly twisted me around and pressed my back to him.

I fought against his grip and I could feel my panic bubbling up my throat. He held my wrists in front of me, rendering my elbows useless. I couldn't knee him in the groin from this position. I tried to stomp on his foot. He was wearing steel toe boots. He's done this before. He began to push me forward the way I came from and away from the table. I fought and flailed against him but it was fucking useless. He was a monster. His strength didn't rival the wolves, but still it was enough to overpower me. Screaming was useless. The pulsing music drowned out everything. I looked around in a panic. Someone could help me. Anyone. I searched around us and no one was noticing. The visual stimulation of the club was so intense, we blended in perfectly.

A predator's playground.