A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story to their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.

Chapter 18-

Bella's POV-

"Leah," I shouted after her retreating form. "You can't do this to me!"

She waved me off, a cigarette dangling off her mouth as she laughed at something some random friend of hers was saying; was she a friend or not, I couldn't be too sure? Both of them were insanely drunk by this point of time, and as heavily inebriated people often tend to do, were have a sane conversation which made no sense to anyone but them.

Anyhow….

"I will complain about you to dad."

Yeah, that did not work.

That never works on anyone over the age of seven, but yet I had to try!

I was out without options.

"Seriously?" She laughed, turning to look at me, amusement thick in her eyes. "That is your threat? Wow. I feel like I am in kindergarten again! For the record, go, tell him. I am not scared of the old man."

I let out a sigh, running an exhausted hand through my hair.

She wasn't scared of Charlie.

She wasn't scared of Sue.

Heck, she wasn't scared of anybody on this very planet.

No 'I will tell him or her' threats ever worked on her, no matter who you substituted that 'him' or 'her' with.

Not even when we were innocent little seven- and eight-year-olds….

"Leah, please," I changed my tactic; anything to get out of here, "I want to go home. It is getting late. It is almost 1 AM. Seth is alone at home…."

"Eh." She waved me off, nonchalance dripping from her forehead in buckets. "He is no kid. In fact, I am pretty sure he is watching porn and jerking off with not a care at the moment."

"Leah." I scowled at her. "He is our brother. Have some shame in life."

Not to forget he was a kid.

I so did not want to think about him in that sense.

Sure, I was aware that he was a growing boy and everything, but I did not have to think about it.

Some things were better not thought about.

"Grow up." she let out a drunken giggle. "We are going to a party. We are going to have fun!"

"Don't you think we have had enough fun already for one night?" I protested, folding my arms over my chest in defiance.

We had been in this extremely loud and annoying party since hours now. It sure felt like decades, but let's not exaggerate all that much also!

Either way, I was frustrated. I was tired. I was sleepy. And I wanted to go home.

Yes. I wanted to go home. Everything else came second to that.

"Oh, stop being a cry baby," she frowned in disgust. "I want to go to this party, and so we will go to this party. And that is final!" She shouted in the silent air of the night, a few of the drunken passerby hooting in agreement and joy.

Said party was in Port Angeles.

I don't even know of who and when had invited Leah and Sam to this party; we were already in one party but that was not enough, apparently.

Now, Leah was never one to say no to a party, and so off we were to Port Angeles at this late….or should I say early an hour?

Anyhow, I had refused to go.

I did not want to go to any party; I hardly knew one person in this party that we had currently been in, and no, I was definitely not having fun.

Torturing myself for another three hours was really not in my bucket list.

Not now and not ever.

Of course, not to forget, the disappointment in Charlie and Sue's eyes when they will see me return with Leah from one long night of roaming around and drinking, even if I hadn't been the one to drink….

Yeah, I so don't want to experience that feeling.

And, if that was not enough, Seth- poor Seth- he was alone at home. Sure, he could feed himself and make sure that he was safe, but still he was hardly twelve, and that is too young an age to be left alone in a house. Anything could go wrong!

I shuddered in fright, several horrible images of some notorious thief breaking into our house and attacking Seth while he peacefully slept swimming through my mind on repeat.

Of course, we lived in La Push, and the crime rate there was simply non-existent. But who was to tell my imagination induced mind that?

No. I needed to go home.

Now.

I rubbed my chest in discomfort, a sigh leaving my lips.

Why couldn't we just go home? We had been to one party; Leah had had all the fun in the world.

Why was it just not enough then?

"Leah…."

"Leah," Sam cut me off, the DD for the night that he was, he was completely in his senses- having stuck to soda for the night. "I think we should just go home. Bella is correct. It is getting late." He gave me a brief nod, understanding my plight.

I let out a breath, nodding my head in agreement.

"No." Leah whined, laughing as she playfully threw herself at Sam, her tone more sing-song than otherwise. "I don't want to go home. I want to partayyy! I am a free bird, Sam. I am a free bird!" She threw her hands up in the air and laughed horribly loudly.

I rolled my eyes at her antics.

This is exactly why I don't drink.

Okay, so this is one of the many reasons why I don't drink.

Who wants and likes to make a fool of themselves in this manner publicly?

Definitely not me.

"Leah," Sam tried to make her understand; tried being the operative word here, but the stubborn brat that Leah often tended to be- especially in such a scenario, she dragged Sam towards her car and my only way to go back home from here.

I let out a sigh. This was completely futile an exercise.

"Sam," I called for his attention, deciding to converse with the only person in this entire area who would understand what I was saying and provide some solution to my problem….

I had hope, if nothing else.

"Can the two of you take your car to this party? I can drive back Leah's car. I really need to get back home. Seth must be worried." I tried to make him understand, scowling at the giggling girls that surrounded him, waiting for him to drive them to Port Angeles for another few hours of drinking and dancing with no co-ordination or grace whatsoever.

Now, I can see no pleasure aspect to be derived from this senseless an idea, but to each their own!

Honestly though, this was a stupid idea.

This entire plan was beyond stupid.

I was an idiot to trust Leah, and while I had realized this fact long ago, the notion was cementing itself in my head with each passing second, like objects stuck with permanent glue that can never be ripped apart, no matter how much strength or brain you use.

"I am sorry." Sam shook his head in response, a frown on his face. "I have come directly from work; a co-worker gave me a ride on his way home. I knew that Leah would be drinking and so I would have to drive her car back home, as generally happens when we go out somewhere. Had I known that any of this was a possibility, I would have definitely gotten my car with me."

"Oh." I let out a breath, waving a hand in the air, my mind hard at work thinking of what to do, of how to reach home for here ahead.

So, that door closes, too.

Hmm.

Where is that open window when you need it?

"Hey, why the hold up, man?"

I turned around at the sudden interruption, Emmett Cullen in all his glory standing right behind us in this nearly abandoned driveway now- majority of the crowd having already left- either to go to that apparently 'simply amazing' party in Port Angeles, or to go home- a confused expression on his face as he stared at Sam in question.

"I thought you would be half way to Port Angeles by now? Your lady," he motioned towards Leah, a grin on his almost childlike face, "did seem excited enough to get there."

Sam sighed, forcing a smile onto his face, "Yeah, actually, Bella- that is Leah's sister…."

"I know who she is." Emmett cut him off, winking at me. "We have met already."

"You have?" Leah teased, playfully nudging me, making me roll my eyes at her in response.

"Grow up." I threw her words back at her, scowling visibly.

We had shared 'one' conversation. That's it!

She let out a giggle. "Grown-up people reach to this only conclusion, silly!"

I shook my head at her ridiculous excuse of an answer, deciding against wasting my brain cells in responding to that.

"Yeah, anyhow," Sam continued, his eyes wide as it reached his hairline, "Bella wants to go home and Leah wants to go this party, and we just have one car with us…"

"I can drop her home."

Say what now?

"I am definitely not in the mood for more socializing; I have filled my quota with this one party and I have taken just one beer." He nodded his head at Sam. "Would that be alright with you if I gave you a ride back home?" Emmett turned to look at me, waiting for my answer.

I smiled briefly, appreciative of the fact that at least he had bothered to ask for my consent. He had not simply decided on my behalf, stating his decision for me to follow.

For the record though, I would have followed without one word in protest.

Anything to get out of here.

"So?" Emmett raised an eyebrow when I was yet to respond after a few long minutes of awkward silence.

"Sure, lead the way," I smiled at him, sharing one last look with Sam, my eyes silently asking him to look after my sister, and his eyes assuring me that Emmett was a good person. He would make sure that I reached home safely.

Emmett gave me a wide grin, a laugh leaving his mouth, as he led me towards my ticket back home.