Bella looked at Riley. He was giving Jacob the stink eye before looking towards her. She gave him a timid smile and he nodded once. Huey gave her a worried look before following with Angela in tow. Bella's eyes slowly moved back to Jacob. She felt his intense stare before she met his eyes. She tried to smile. It just didnt come out as she wanted. It looked tight. Her face set in a grim expression as she moved towards him. They both walked towards the edge of the stairs when he grabbed her hand. It felt...wrong. As soon as they hit the bottom stairs, she calmly withdrew her hand. The awkward tension rose as she tried to look everywhere else instead of directly into his eyes.

"What I can't hold your hand?" He asked. She bit her lip and tried not to fidget as she sat down.

"I'm not saying you can't...I just feel like, it'll give you more of an impression than what is needed." She trailed off, feeling more uncomfortable than she really needed to be.

"But you let those two all over you?" Jacob snapped her shaking slighty. Bella felt herself recoil back before a sudden rush of anger came through. It burned at her chest as she stood up sharply and shook a pointed finger at her supposed childhood friend.

"Riley and Huey aren't like that! They're helping me when they didn't have to. They've done more for me than anyone around me has done. For a strange girl like me! And without asking for anything but for my health in return." She shouted before she slumped slightly, whispering at the end. "Riley especially. He's my Moon." Her anger rushed away as warm feelings came through, blanketing her in a safe haven. Jacob looked about to say something else when Mike came out looking a lighter green, holding his stomach tightly.

"I think I need to go to the hospital," he groaned, slowly walking towards them. She could see Jacob puff up more. Now she was worried what he might do to Mike. He was just so angry and he kept taking it out on others. What happened to Jacob? She had to push at Jacobs' chest when he started moving towards Mike agressively.

"You need to go the hospital? I can put you there." He snarled, pushing her back. She strained against his chest, feet slipping as she tried to keep a confused and frightened Mike behind her.

"Riley!" She screamed. It seemed to make Jacob angrier because he started shaking more violently before pushing her down. She landed on her elbow and cried out when a sharp twinge ran up her arm. She looked up with betrayel in her eyes, and then gasped when a large fist met Jacobs' cheek, bringing him down. Huey stood above him with a dark look on his face. It chilled her straight to her bones but what made her skin crawl was the enraged look on Riley's face as he struggled to get around his brother. Bella felt herself being picked up and looked at Angela with a grimaced smile on her face.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Pushing my girl down. You think you're a man? I'll fucking show you!" Rileys' voice dropped two octaves as he shouted. She didn't want to look into his eyes. But it was as if she could zoom into his pearls. His green pools were thinned out as his pupils grew. An endless pool of black sucked her in as his rage flowed outwards. It was as if wrong button was pushed and there was an explosion. She's seen him angry. It was never to this high point. The resentment poured from him towards the boy he knocked on the grown. Said boy now getting up with a groan, holding his face as he got to his knees.

Bella felt her heart stutter in fear. Holding her elbow at it stung sharply, she swallowed a couple of times to keep from stuttering. "Riley? Can we go to the hospital please?" She asked, her voice coming out softly. She never got over on how quickly he calms down whenever she spoke to him. Had he been an animal, the fur on his body would have smoothed over as quickly as he puffed up. She never felt at ease as the twins came over and pulled them away; Riley taking great care in trying to see if she hurt any more than she thought he did with her arm. She turned back once more to see Jacob getting to his feet as they turned around the corner, exiting the building.

She sat solemly on the hospital bed as her arm was being moved in different directions. She winced a couple times.

"Well there is some slight swelling and some tenderness, I would have a brace put on your elbow for a couple of days to keep it from acting out of turn. There's no broken bones, so you're free to go Miss Swan. Some ice or frozen peas would help with the swelling as well." The doctor gave her a pat before silently exiting the room. She glanced over to where Riley sat. He looked emotionally exhausted. He was leant forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands rubbinng his face. She clumsily got herself off of the bedand trotted to him.

"I'm okay Riley, just a little banged up." She said lightly, trying to get him to come out of the funk he was on. She gave him a small smile when he dropped his hands to glance at her before sighing. Keeping a squeak from tumbling her lips, she was suprised when his hands shot out and wrapped around her hips. He pulled and she didn't resist walking until she stood between his legs. His head fell forward again to rest against her stomach. It was quiet for a couple of moments. Her face was flushed from the initmate pose they were in. His hands on her waist made her spine tingle. She couldn't feel the breaths he was taking against her stomach and for that she was thankful. She was startled out of her thoughts when he finally spoke up.

"If he ever puts his hands on you again Belle, he will regret it." He hissed. Bella inhaled sharply when his hands slightly tightened on her before loosening up just as quickly. She wanted to refute him and say that Jacob was probably having a bad day. But his behavior lately hasn't been the best and she did not like how he handled himself around the twins. She also felt highly uncomfortable on his forwardness towards her. He was pushing for more than she could handle right now. All she wanted was a shoulder to cry on. Someone who didn't treat her like fragile china. A person who didn't push for expectations. Someone who has patience.

She wrapped her arms around Riley's head and gave him a light squeeze. When they released each other, they left the room and walked towards the waiting room, talking quietly to themselves. Huey and Angela were also speaking in hush tones as they walked in. Angela spotted them first and all but flew from her seat.

"Is your arm okay Bells?" She asked worriedly, eyeing the brace on her elbow. Bella gave her a small smile and waved it a little.

"As long as I don't do any heavy lifting with this arm and keep it under ice, doctor says I'm okay."

Angela sighed in relief, pulling her a side hug. "Okay next time, I'm staying close by. If he comes near you, he's getting a swift kick to his jewels." She smiled tightly. Bella looked at her friend in shock. Angela has never threatened bodily harm towards anyone. That's when Riley decided to put his two cents in.

"I'm next."

"Not if I get there before you do." Huey grunted.

Though violence wasn't something she neccesarily condoned in some circumstances, deep down in a resentful part of herself felt justified that her friends were sticking up for her. She thought Jacob was her friend. She smiled lightly as they all started arguing. Pulling both Riley and Angela by their jackets to the exit with Huey in tow, she had some giggles slip through listening as they climbed into the car. On their way home, it was only both Riley and Huey making a list. She long tuned them out as both Angela and herself talked about their upcoming homework. When they dropped Angela off, Riley made kissing faces to Huey as he leaned out the window to whisper to her friend. Bella laughed when Huey's hand shot out and smacked against Riley's face, causing him to cry out. They left as soon as Angela was safely within her home before they started off towards her house. It became quiet. It was comforting to her to be in silence. She has had enough fanfare for tonight.

"Will that blonde kid be good?" Riley asked after several moments of silence.

"I made sure to call his parents before the doctors did. They wanted to keep him overnight." Bella answered quietly, looking at the trees flying by.

"Long as he's good. I didn't like how that kid went after him. He ain't good for the soul baby girl. That man ain't alright up there." Riley said.

Bella sighed dejectedly. "Yeah, I seemed to attract all the bad ones to me before."

"Nah Belle. It doesn't matter who gets pulled in your circle. You just got to understand, who's really going to be there for you at the end of the day. It's not just adding people to your life. You gotta learn how to subtract from your life as well. That's how you now who's really riding for you and who will make you you crash and burn."

His speech completely flooded her. The thought of that has not really come to mind throughout her life here in Forks. Back in Arizona, it was easy to keep herself in her own bubble. She was the awkward adult in a teenagers body. A plain Jane that kept her grades nothing less than a "A", read books for fun, did chores, and cooked for a living. No one but her mother and Phil interacted to her. Though...when was the last time she has spoken to her mom? It felt like years had gone by. Was she okay? Is Phil okay? She felt her eyes tightened in sadness. Her real family. The dysfunctional family she was born in from day one. The one she dumped for what it seemed like a dream family. How could she? How could she abandoned their love for her? Trying to keep the tears at bay, she sniffled silently. They heard it anyway.

"Bells, you good?" Huey looked over his seat to look at her.

She used her jacket to brush away a few tears as Riley made eye contact with her in the rearview mirror. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just..." More traitorous tears came down. "I miss my mommy." Her voice whined softly.