Isabella
The rest of the week wasn't any better than Monday. I overslept on Tuesday because my alarm clock never went off and no one bothered to wake me up. Of course, Emmett had left without me and I had to walk fifteen minutes to school. Needless to say, I was late and narrowly avoided receiving detention. Tanya and her minions glared at me every day at lunch, making it very clear that I was not wanted. Edward was oblivious to his girlfriend's hatred of me so I resorted to spending the second half of lunch every day in the bathroom with Kate and Bree. They were the only thing I had to look forward too.
Finally, Friday arrived and I was in a daze. First period had ended and my only thoughts were making it through the rest of the day unscathed because if anything else were to go wrong, I was going to insane. People rushed past me, some smiling and others glaring. I was tempted to shoot them a nasty look but decided against it and kept my head down. I wasn't to draw any more attention to myself. I was to stay invisible because people couldn't hurt me if they didn't see me.
I arrived ten minutes early for English and opted for the seat furthest in the back. Slowly, people started to trickle in and either outright stared at me or walked past as if I didn't even exist. Everyone rushed to see their friends, knowing very well that the teacher would switch our seats. She had been kind enough to let us choose up until today. I was content with sitting alone and didn't want anyone to burst my little bubble.
"Quiet down, quiet down," our teacher, Ms. Reneta says. She comes to the front of the class with a clipboard in hand. Her hair was as dark as the night sky and her chocolatey eyes searched the room, making sure everyone was listening. She's wearing a blouse and jeans. She certainly didn't dress to impress.
"I know that you've gotten comfortable but I'm sorry to say that we are going to be changing seats today." A series of groans sound throughout the class and students reluctantly pack up their bags, preparing to be separated from their friends as if it were the worst thing in the world to happen. She read off the list of names. "Diego and Jane, Riley and Alec, Bella and Jessica…"
A scowl appears on my face as this skimpily dressed girl walks to the back of the classroom and dumps her bag on the ground. She tosses her long brown hair over her shoulder and turns to me. She had been sitting next to the blonde bimbo, Lauren Mallory.
"I'm Jessica Stanley!" She chirps. "You must be Bella Swan!"
I nod my head and she flashes me a sickly sweet smile. Her perfectly manicured fingernails are a bright pink just like the rest of her outfit. Her face was caked with makeup which made her seem even faker. Her nasally voice hurt my ears and I knew she wasn't looking to be my friend. Her only intentions with me were to become popular because she knew that I was a key into that world.
"You are so pretty! I… love your, um, outfit…" She sounds anything but impressed as she scans over my stained sweatshirt and sweatpants. "Is that Calvin Klein?"
"It's Old Navy," is all I say.
"Oh…"
She continues to talk throughout the class, clueless to what is actually going on. Question after question is about my brother. She knows that he and Rose would never break up and it would be incredibly stupid to get on the wrong side of her, but her tiny brain doesn't take the hint. My only wish right now is to push her out the window. That's the only way I could get her to shut up. Finally, after forty minutes of reading Romeo and Juliet and Jessica's nonstop chatter, the bell rings. I jump out of my seat and run for the door with her hot on my heels. "Bella, wait!"
I speed up and disappear into the crowd, ignoring her whiny voice. I smile to myself at this small victory. Maybe now, I could finally think.
I didn't go to lunch today. I didn't want to face the cold stare of Tanya and Emmett's overbearing behavior concerning everything I do. I hadn't told him about the party because I knew that he would flip his shit. Emmett either wouldn't want to be seen with me at the party or he'd say that I'm too young to handle the experiences of high school.
Too young my ass. I thought bitterly as I stood in the hallway at my locker. I was getting out my bag for gym when someone walked up next to me.
It was Edward.
"Hey Bella," he smiled. Edward leaned against the lockers intensely staring at me. His arms were crossed as he watched me close my locker and put away my books. "What are you doing here? I've missed you at lunch the past few days."
My heart thumps against my chest. He missed me?
"I've just been at the li-library." I lie. My cheeks blushed bright pink and his throaty laugh made me even more embarrassed. "The Cafe is a little too crowded for me sometimes."
"The Cafe is too crowded?" He repeats, not believing me. Edward shakes his head and a smirk appears on his lips. I want to smack that smile off his face and show him that his girlfriend is such a bitch. That's why I didn't sit with him. But I clench my fists and narrow my eyes, controlling the urge to punch something… or someone.
"Yes. There are too many people," I hiss. "Now, if you'll excuse me… " I try to walk around him but his hand grabs my hip. I gasp as sudden pain bursts through my side. He immediately lets go and has a look of confusion.
"Did I hurt you?" His voice is rushed. His green eyes sparkle and his mouth is slightly open. I manage to slow the thumping of my heart down but my body is still shaking. "What did I do?"
"I-I'm fine. It's just, um, a bruise," I awkwardly laugh. Tears prick at my eyes and before I can turn around and leave, a voice rings out through the hallway. It's the stuck up snobby voice, I've come to hate.
"OMG, Bella!" She squeals. Jessica runs up to me but stops short when she sees Edward. Her eyes are wide as saucers and she stutters like an idiot. "I'm, um, I'm, J-Je-"
"This is Jessica," I said gritting my teeth. "Jessica Stanley."
A cheshire cat grin spreads across her face. She twirls her hair seductively, non discreetly, pushing out her boobs in his direction. She is such a try hard.
"Hello," he responds politely, paying her no attention. She pouts, obviously annoyed that the hottest guy in school was ignoring her.
"What are you guys talking about?" She licks her lips and steps closer to him. Edward glances at her, uninterested, and keeps his eyes on me.
"Nothing that concerns you, Jessica. So if you'd be so kind as to give us some space, I'd greatly appreciate it." He snaps at her. His jaw is clenched and I know that he's at his breaking point.
Jessica gasps as if he's just insulted in her. "Bella and I are friends. Anything you say to her you can say in front of me." She suspiciously looks back and forth between the two of us. Her blue eyes suddenly ice. I know Jessica isn't going to back down until she gets what she wants, and what she wants is Edward. Which is never going to happen.
"Actually, Bella and I were just leaving. Now, if you'll excuse us." Edward takes my bag before I can protest and I can do is follow him like a lost puppy.
We're almost to the door when Jessica's voice rings throughout the hall. "I bet Tanya will want to know where you are going."
Edward's hand freezes above the door handle. He inhales a deep breath before turning around to face her.
"She doesn't know, does she?" She says with a smug look on her face. Edward's about to blow a gaskat but instead of contradicting her, he gently takes my arm and guides me out of the school. We're halfway across the parking lot when I finally come to my senses. I yank my bag from his hands and with a loud grumble, stalked away in the opposite direction, back to the school.
"Bella, where are you going?" He sighs. He's caught up to me within a few seconds and my scowl deepens.
"I'm going back to class. It's against the rules to skip class don't you know?"
Edward rolls his eyes, stopping me from walking. He's always made fun of me at what a goody- two shoes I was. He didn't understand the concept of rules. His motto was, "rules are meant to broken because that is the only way you will learn your lesson."
I don't know how many times he has recited this to me but I know that for every rule he has broken, no lesson has been learned.
"It's healthy to skip everyone once in a while. You know that-"
"... rules are meant to be broken because that is the only way you will learn your lesson."
"Ahhh. The words of the wise man. You've been listening. He's always right, you know." He laughs. Edward stares at me with a look I can't even describe. His smile seemed genuine. He actually seemed interested in me. I don't know what game he was playing but I didn't like it.
"Edward, what are doing?" I ask frustrated. "You have a girlfriend. Why don't you go spend time with her."
"Well, what if I don't want to spend time with her?" He says. "What if I want to spend time with you?"
A feeling that I can't describe flutters in my stomach. Edward sounded so passionate. So serious. I didn't want to corrupt his perfect world with my craziness. I couldn't do that to him. "Edward, trust me. You don't want to spend time with me." I walk away, leaving him stumped. I couldn't let him get close to me because I didn't want to hurt him in the end. He was too good of a person to be corrupted by me.
I ended up going back to class. Gym was a disaster and I didn't even want to talk about Health Class. Learning how to put a condom on was not something that should be done while sitting next to a fifteen-year-old, horny boy.
"Earth to Bella!" Angela waves her hand in front of my face. "Hello? Anyone up there?" She knocks on my head. I shake my head, trying to clear my mind. I lean back in my chair and watch Angela straighten her hair. She picks up an elastic off of my messy bureau and does a long braid in her hair. This is her attempt to get Ben Cheney to notice her.
"What do you think?" She smiles widely and shows herself off. This was our first high school party and she wanted to dress to impress. She was wearing jean shorts and an off the shoulder baby pink top with Birkenstock's. I, on the other hand, was wearing my brother's football sweatshirt that was so big, it looked like I wasn't wearing any pants.
"You look good!" I give her the thumbs up. It's true though. She looked confident, pretty, and approachable. Angela was the fun one between the two of us. She could make friends with anyone.
"Are you really going to wear that?" She sighs. "Pleaseee, let me choose a different outfit for you. You'll look really cute!"
I groan, shaking my head. "Nooo. It's going to get cold later and I'd rather not freeze to death. I'm comfortable like this-"
"But you have a bunch of pretty dresses in your closet! You never wear them anymore," she pouts.
Content with my response, I refuse her offers, opting to be dressed comfortably. "I don't really wear dresses anymore, Angela."
"But-"
"Angela, no." My voice is firm, trying to get my point across. She finally understands and drops the subject. I slump back into the chair and watch her put on makeup. I would never be the girl she is. I'll never be normal like her.
An hour later the sound of horn comes from outside. I look out the window to see Kate and Bree sitting in a blue Maserati sports car. Angela and I run downstairs and grab our shoes. We're almost to the door when my mother stops us. She's sorting through papers at the kitchen table but pauses when she sees us at the door. "Where are you girls going?"
All eyes are on me, waiting for a response. "Is it ok if we go to the beach? We're going with some friends and meeting others."
I bite on my lip, nervous that she is going to say no. I've never been one for going to parties or hanging out with friends on weekends. I always stayed in and read.
My mother looks shocked and with surprise, she says, "Yeah, go ahead girls! I think Emmett left like fifteen minutes ago. "
A smile radiates across our faces. I grab my phone and Angela and I run out the door. "Thanks, mom!"
"Have fun and be safe!" I hear her yell from inside the house. I don't respond because we're already in the car with the music blasting. The night was just getting started.
"Hey girls!" Bree turns smiles at us. Kate grins before turning a sharp corner, making us fall on top of each other.
"This is Angela," I say. Bree and Kate are immediately taken with her. The talked the entire ride about Ben Cheney, who was apparently a senior. This made Angela blush even harder. If I didn't know, I'd say she was in love. Note the sarcasm.
We pull into a parking lot ten minutes later. We've got to switch cars because Kate's car can't handle the off road driving to the beach. Several other cars are already here and people are standing outside in groups. I see Emmett's humongous Jeep and then, of course, he's standing with Edward, Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice. He's leaning against his car, laughing at something. Knowing that, Emmett would see me any second, I hid behind Angela. I hoped that he would save me the embarrassment and leave me alone for now. I wanted to try to fit in.
"Is that Bella?" Jasper looks our way. He waves his hand and Kate and Bree turn in their direction. No no no. This couldn't be happening. I duck my head and try to head the other way but Bree grabs my arm, stopping me. Damn it.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Emmett growls. His arms are crossed against his chest and he glares at me. What crawled up his ass?
"Really, Kate? Did you really think it was a good idea to bring a fourteen-year-old girl to a party?" Emmett yells.
"Hey! I'm almost fifteen!" I try to stand up for myself. "I'm here for the same reason as you. Do you have a problem with that?"
Emmett not amused, glares at me. "Bella, do you really think this is a good idea? If you're trying to prove yourself or some-"
"She doesn't need to deal with your crap right now. All she's trying to do is have a good time like the rest of us. So I suggest you shut your mouth before I do it for you." Kate announces, nose to nose with Emmett. Both of their hands are clenched in fists, enraged with each other.
"What the fuck did you say to him?" Rose pushes Emmett back and gets in her face, suddenly furious.
Kate smirks and that's all Rose needs before hell breaks loose. With a sudden swing, Kate's head snaps to the side and bright red mark lays on her cheek. It's almost as if she's shooting laser beams out of her eyes at Rosalie. I doubt that this will end peacefully. There is going to be some bloodshed.
"Did you actually just do that?" Kate growls. Emmett and Jasper pull Rose back as she claws and screams. By this time, a crowd as formed around us, impatiently anticipating what will happen next. Suddenly, as if the Red Sea has parted, everyone turns in the opposite direction, watching Tanya stalk over to us. She was angry and I had no doubt that she would focus her wrath on me.
"What the hell is going on?" She hissed. Her two cronies had abandoned her to talk with some other guys. Tanya's ice blue eyes seemed to turn my insides to stone. I stood to the side, quietly, trying to stay invisible.
"This doesn't concern you," Kate snapped. Tanya rolls her eyes as if suddenly this all makes sense. "Of course you have something to do with this. I'm sorry about her, she has anger issues."
"And I'm sorry about my sister. She's got insecurity issues. She never knows when to stop acting like a slut." Kate says in a sickly sweet voice. Everyone's trying to contain their laughter. Even Edward.
Tanya's face is as red as a tomato and with an angry screech, she has dragged poor Edward away by his shirt. "Babe, I don't want to be here anymore. I want to get drunk."
Edward, knowing it's better to not to fight her, lets her take him away. I stare at them with a feeling of envy. I should be with Edward. I should be the one in his arms. He could protect me. Suddenly as if Edward could hear my thoughts, he turns his mouth pressed into a thin line. He didn't seem very happy to see me.
"Bella are you alright?" Angela whispers beside me. Startled, I turn to her. I had almost forgotten that she was here.
"I'm fine," I whisper.
No, I'm not.
I'm riding in Emmett's Jeep with Rose and Angela. My brother wanted to keep an eye on me which I very much protested, and Kate and Rose couldn't stand to be within a mile of each other. She and Bree had gone with Alice and Jasper in his pickup truck and were meeting us there. Edward and Tanya had gone with some other guys and I assumed that they must be already at the beach, assuming they left after Tanya temper tantrum. I had escaped her for now but I doubt I could stay invisible all night. She was bound to find me and when she did, Tanya would end me.
We got to the beach in fifteen minutes. It seven o'clock and I already wanted to leave. We pulled into a crowded parking lot in front of the beach. Emmett cut the engine and I hopped out of the car. I saw a cloud of smoke rising into the sky, creating a sense of darkness and my impending doom. Emmett slammed the door shut and walks towards the beach. I quickly followed after him, my stomach was doing somersaults as we neared the very crowded beach.
Voices and music combined made the sound deafening. Rap was blaring from someone's speakers and red cups were littered all over the sand. A keg had been set up and a small crowd was already cheering someone on in a game of Beer Pong. "Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!" They chanted. I internally threw up in my mouth knowing that they'd regret this all tomorrow. I, for one, wouldn't be going home with a wicked hangover.
"Angela!"
The boy's voice was so deep that I wouldn't have believed he was in high school. Angela furiously blushes as the Asian guy in a grey crew neck wearing white shorts jogged over to us, kicking sand up in the air behind him.
"Ben!" Angela waves back.
So this was the infamous Ben Cheney. I could see what Angela saw in him. From what I could tell he was muscular, handsome, and charming. He wraps his arms around her waist, giving her a quick hug before letting her go. They smile at each other like two idiots in love and that incites high pitched giggles.
I stand to the side, feeling like a third wheel. Ben notices me and sticks his hand out for a handshake. Sucking up my nerves, I place my hand in his large one and let him squeeze it. He's not Jacob. He's not Jacob. He lets go of my hand within a second and I exhale in relief.
"You must be Bella?" Ben smiles, stating more than asking. Angela turns back to me, remembering that they weren't the only ones here."Angela has talked a lot about you." He looks adoringly at her.
If I didn't know any better I'd say that they were already a couple. It was only a matter of time. Angela sheepishly smiles and fiddles with her fingers.
"It's nice to meet you," I sincerely say. I mean it. I want Angela to be happy and this boy does this for her then I'm happy for her. I'll just kill him if he does anything to her.
"I was hoping that I could steal her away for a bit," he quirks his eyebrow up. "We never did get to find our conversation about climate change the other day."
Now it's my turn to laugh. Climate change? This is why Angela wanted to come. She knew that he would be here tonight.
"I'm sorry Bella," she mumbles. "Do you mind?"
With a sigh of resignation, I know that I'll most likely be spending the night sitting alone. "Go have fun kids!"
A smile breaks across her face before dancing over to give me a tight squeeze. She whispers in my ear. "Thank you."
"Don't worry, I'll have her back by a reasonable hour," Ben jokes. Emmett and him fist bump before him and Angela run off together.
I turn to Emmett to his arms folded over his chest and glancing down at me. I roll my eyes and walk away only to have him grab my arm. Startled, I flinch away and he immediately lets go. My heart thumps against my chest as he and Rose both look at me in concern.
"I'm fine," I mumble. My lips quivering, I say, "I'm just gonna sit by the bonfire- roast marshmallows or something."
"Bella-"
I go to the bonfire- a few feet away before he can say anything. My hands shaking, I stick them in my pockets and sit down on the wooden log. I'm fine. I'm fine. Just act normal.
It's been two hours, I've been sitting here. I don't know how much fruit punch I've drank but I ate three s'mores and felt bloated. People sit all around me, making out, talking, laughing with each other. I'm the odd one out. I'm playing candy crush on my phone, trying to tune out the noise, when I see a group of rowdy boys coming from the opposite direction of the party. They were all tan, muscular, and looked familiar but I couldn't place my finger on them.
"Who are they?" I ask a girl, eating a hotdog beside me. She follows the direction I'm pointing in and sees the guys.
"Oh! They are the Quileute boys. They go to school on the reservation but always come down when we have these parties."
My heart drops to the stomach. Blood rushes through my ears and I'm frozen in fear. It's as if time has stopped and I'm the only person in the world. Everyone else has disappeared. I'm searching through the crowd of boys when I see him. Jacob, standing proud and tall in a blue navy t-shirt and khaki shorts, is staring right at me with a smirk plastered on his face. He truly was a devil in disguise.
"Hey, Bella!" Jacob sits down beside me. He's wearing that same god awful cologne. My stomach does flips when he's standing in front of me. My eyes are glassy and scan around looking for an escape. There is none around. I sucked in a shaky breath, feeling my throat constrict. Panic rose in my body. I suddenly didn't know how to speak. Or walk. I just sat on the log, blankly, staring up at him in terror. My palms were clammy, and it was all I could do not to knot my fingers together.
"What, no, hello?" He says in a low voice. He stares me down, daring me to say something. To shout for help. To reveal what he's done to me. But I stay quiet, unable to move. Everyone is too drunk to notice what is going on. Emmett had said that he would check on me later but I didn't see him anywhere. Angela was with Ben talking about god knows what and I had no clue where Edward was. Last time, I saw Kate and Bree, they were already drunk, going off with some guys towards the woods.
"Angela was getting comfy with some guy back there. I never thought that I'd see her with one." He laughs. "How have you been?"
I don't respond. It's as if I've just witnessed a murder and I'm frozen in fear. He wouldn't try anything in front of everyone, would he? No. No, he wouldn't. I try to convince myself. But I'm not sure I can believe that.
"Cat got your tongue?" He raises his eyebrows. If I open my mouth I think I'll throw up. I don't think it can get any worse but suddenly, he's grabbed my arm and is dragging me through the crowd.
I open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out. I try to yank my arm away but he holds onto me tighter. My head turns every which way, trying to get someone to notice my distress but nobody does. They're all drunk idiots that won't remember any of this in the morning. Tears pour down my cheeks like rain falling from the sky. My head thunders in pain and I lose my footing, stumbling along the way. Everything was spinning around and around like I was on a tilt a whirl. All I had to drink was the punch. The sour tasting fruit punch. Something was wrong.
The noise fades away and we're encompassed by the ominous dark forest. I look behind me to see we've walked further than I originally thought. I couldn't see the party anymore.
Jacob pinned me against the tree as I repeatedly punch his chest, struggling to get away. He grabs a fistful of my hair, forcing my head back.
"Ahhh," an animalistic scream resonates from my chest. "Jacob plea-"
He slaps his hand over my mouth, yanking my head back harder. "Don't you dare say another fucking word. Now stay quiet and it'll hurt less."
His hands roam my body, leaving no part untouched. His mouth, sucking the side of my neck, moaning in delight. Then he moves his hands up my sweatshirt to the hem of my shorts.
"Stop!" I breathe. "Stop it!" Jacob pulls back as if he'd been submerged into hot water. The furious glint in his eyes says it all.
Unprepared for his reaction, his fist connects with my side and I fall to the ground in pain. It felt as if the life had been knocked out of me. My fingers wrap around a pointy rock and I consider jabbing him in the eye. However, he yanks me up by the hair, entrapping me against the tree with his arms. My fist is curled around the rock, unnoticed by him.
I'm prepared to fight him suddenly, he lets me go. My heart is pounding so hard that I can hear it in my ears. What was he doing?
Finally, I hear voices. A girl and a boy, far away but still close enough that they will see us any second. Jacob's eyes darken more if that is even possible. The smirk reappears on his face as he looks me up and down. "Don't think this is over."
With nothing left to say, he walks away, leaving me huddled on the ground in a drunk disorderly haze. I didn't know if I could move on from this. I was saved this time but I wouldn't be so sure about the next. Jacob was coming back to finish what he started.