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Chapter Four

Mary's POV

"Y-you can't be serious, Matt," I whispered as soon as Embry dropped us off. The whole ride was silent, tensed. He'd told me to think about it and either tell him what happened or let him find out for himself.

"But I am," he said, "You're my friend, Mary, and friends look out for each other."

I grimaced. "Yeah, I know, but-"

"No buts." He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know you can't talk to your family about whatever that happened, and you're my best friend - you gotta tell me, Mary. I can help you, I promise." I looked down at my feet, silent. "Come on, your parents aren't expecting you home now. Why don't you come over at my place? Everyone's home but I bet we can have a room to ourselves."

"Matt, no."

He sighed. "Mary, look at you," he said, "You're a mess. C'mon, I can help, Mary. Even if it's just listening."

I shook my head. "You don't get it. If I tell you, you'll never treat me the same again."

He rubbed my shoulders soothingly. "You'll always be my best friend, alright? I promise whatever you're gonna say will never change anything."

I wished. How was I supposed to believe that? As soon as I tell him, he'll either not want to know me anymore, or he'll start treating me like an injured kid. The last thing I needed was sympathy. Yes, I needed support, I needed help, but I didn't need sympathy. Especially from Matt.

When I didn't answer him, he patted my back gently. "Come on, let's go inside."

I nodded, surrendering. He took my hand and led me inside the house. His parents were sitting in the kitchen, having dinner. "Hey, kids," his father said, "What brought you home so early?"

"We remembered we had this school project to finish," Matt lied, "So if you'll excuse us..."

They nodded dismissively and we walked up the stairs. "Matt?" I whispered. He looked down at me. "Are you sure?"

"Totally," he whispered back as we got to his room, "Trust me, Mary. You're like a little sister to me." As soon as we got in, I sat down on his chair and he hopped on his bed. "Spill."

I licked my lips. "Where do I start?"

"From the beginning," he said, "Who called you?"

"A guy I used to know in Forks."

"A friend of yours?"

I shrugged. "You can say that."

He leaned his elbow on his knee. "What did he say to upset you so much? Were you guys close?"

I rubbed my hands together, hesitant. Even though I'd obeyed him and went up with him, I couldn't yet bring myself to tell him everything. I knew he said he regarded me as a little sister, and it made me relax a little bit. But I couldn't speak up until I kept reminding myself how it was safe to tell him, that it would feel better to let something out. Maybe I wouldn't tell him everything just now, but at least I'd let him know who Jackson was. It was time he knew if I wanted anyone to help me against Jackson in case he thought of finding me physically - of waiting for me at school or showing up somehow, somewhere.

The chair was big enough for me to cross my legs, and I did, sighing. "He was my boyfriend."

Matt frowned. "And you broke up when you moved?"

"Not really," I said, "I'd dumped him a while after that. About two months ago."

"Why?"

I bit my lip. "I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Fine," he said, "But tell me what happened today. Why were you so upset?" I looked down at my hands and shrugged. He stood up and came to sit down on the arm of the chair I was sitting on, leaning his arm on its back. His other hand was brought to my chin, lifting it. "What did he tell you?"

I wasn't really sure what happened then. His closeness, maybe, or his caring tone - I couldn't really put my hands on it but something made me want to confide in Matt. I knew that I could rely on him, like a sister does on a brother. I looked up at him and took a deep breath. That was it. I was finally getting it out. Someone was going to know, and the world wasn't going to crash down because he did. I swallowed the lump in my throat, collected every ounce of courage I had, and spoke. "He told me he wanted to meet with me. I don't wanna see him anymore."

"Then why don't you just say no and that's that? What's so upsetting about rejecting him?"

"I-" I whispered, "He - Back when we were together, he wasn't exactly...nice to me."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

I felt blood run away from my face, my limbs getting cold. "He - he -" I stuttered, "He hit me and blackmailed me. A lot."

"What?" Matt snapped, "Are you serious? While you two were together?" I nodded. "Why - why would he do that? Why would you stay with him after he did it?"

Tears rolled down my cheeks. "Whe- Whenever I - messed up or - said something wrong..." I trailed off, "Or whenever I wouldn't - wouldn't be with him...or - or -" I couldn't go on. I broke into sobs. Matt hugged me close, soothing me. "And I just - it was my fault, all the time. I couldn't just -"

When I couldn't speak anymore, Matt patted my back, still holding me close. "It wasn't your fault, Mary. Trust me." I shook my head and he sighed. "It's over now anyway, okay? No matter what he's telling you, you can't see him again," he said, "You're lucky you left Forks."

I wrapped my arms around him. "But he found me, Matt," I mumbled, "And I'm - I'm afraid..."

"Why don't you tell your parents?" he said, breaking the (pretty awkward) hug, "Why didn't you file for a restraining order if he was abusive?"

"Mom and Dad didn't believe me when I told them," I explained, "They said I was lying."

"Why would you lie about that?" I shrugged. "Unbelievable."

"I - I can't meet him alone, Matt. I mean, I just...I won't be leaving the house for a while. Home and school and that's it," I said, "I might go to Jake's garage for Embry's sake - I mean I couldn't thank the guy earlier - but that's it."

"For how long, Mary?" He walked towards his window, his back to me. "Forever? You're bound to meet him some day."

"I know, but - but I can't. I don't know what might happen...how angry he would be - anything."

He slid his hands in his pockets. "Call him," he said, "Call him now. Tell him to meet you at Jake's garage - when are you meeting Embry, Monday?" I nodded. "Tell him to meet you there Monday at three, right after school. I'll be there, Jake and Embry will be there. Nothing can happen. How does this sound?"

"Are you sure, Matt? You'd do this for me?"

He turned to face me. "I swear to God if he even tries to lay hands on you I'll fucking kick his sorry, woman-beating ass up until he begged for mercy."

I half-smiled, wiping my tears. "Thank you, Matt. Thank you so much."

He smiled faintly at me. "Just call him," he said and typed down Jake's garage address. I got out my phone and dialled his number, my hand shaking slightly. I had more confidence, though. As Jackson answered, I put him on speaker phone and motioned to Matt to come closer.

"Hello?"

"H-Hey...Jackson," I said.

"Oh look who's calling," he mocked, "Have you thought about what I told you?"

"Yes," I breathed, just loud enough for him to hear. "How about Monday at three? After school?"

"Brilliant," he said, "Where, Princess?"

I winced. "There's this garage I'm gonna be at..because..um-" Matt mouthed an excuse to me. "Because I'm getting my car fixed."

"Car? You got a car?"

"Yeah, sure," I lied.

"Ha. That would be fun to watch. Alright then..give me an address and I'll be there." I dictated the address to him. "Cool. See ya then, Mary."

"Bye."

Monday morning I didn't even want to get outta bed.

My stomach twisted as soon as I heard my alarm, but I knew I had to do it. I had to go to school, act like everything was okay, and go on with the rest of this eventful day. I called Embry last night to tell him I was gonna meet him and he sounded pretty excited about it. I wasn't. But the fact that I would have Matt with me, in addition to two (very) huge guys - big enough to scare my father off, and he was a cop - made me feel a tad better about it.

I got up, did my morning routine and stood for what seemed like ages in front of my closet, trying to pick something to wear. I wasn't usually the one to bother with picking certain clothes for different occasions but today was special. Today was the first time I meet Jackson after I left Forks. According to Matt, I had to "deliver the message that I was much better off without him and that I never did or ever will need him to feel good about myself". In short, I had to wear something that said: confident.

I ended up with a short, beige, sleeveless dress, matte black tights, my black blazer (the heavy one to keep me warm) and black ballerina shoes. I left my hair loose on my shoulders with the exception of a clipped strand on the right. I usually went without make-up, but today I framed my eyelids with a black eyeliner and mascara, with a slight light brown gloss on my lips. I took a last look at my reflection in the mirror, a bit taken aback by the change in my shape. I almost looked like I used to before knowing Jackson. Almost like a girl. Ha.

My phone rang once and I looked out of the window to find Matt waiting in his Audi for me. He'd agreed to drive me to school every day, since he was the one with the car now. For a lazy ass like me, this was a lot better than walking there and it offered me twenty whole minutes of extra sleep every single morning. Read: heaven.

I rushed out of the room and down the stairs, throwing Mom a quick "bye" before I went out and ran to the still-beautiful Audi, hopping inside. "Mornin', Matt."

He turned to look at me and his eyes widened. "Who the hell are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on..."

"No, seriously." He shook his head. "You? In a dress? And loose hair? And...make-up?" He started the engine and drove.

"Good enough?"

"More than that," he said, "You look great. That's exactly what I meant."

"Hey Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"Everything will be okay, right?"

He smiled at me. "Don't worry. Everything will be perfect."

I sure hoped.

As soon as the final bell rang, I found Matt standing outside the classroom, waiting for me. He held out his hand for me and I took it. My heart was beating rapidly in anticipation and fear, both. I wanted this to be over as soon as possible and I was afraid. Afraid he might threaten me again. But this time I had people on my side. This time I wasn't alone. Unlike what I thought before telling Matt, I did not in any way regret telling him. At least not yet.

Once I was seated next to him in the car he started telling me stuff like it wasn't a big deal and that he was there for me. I appreciated it. Really, I did. But in order to relax I needed to at least pretend to forget what was to come for a moment. I felt a bit better but I was in no way relaxed. All I could think about was how I was going to mess up or how everything was going to go the wrong way.

When I made it to the garage, at 2:30 exactly, I found Embry waiting for me, a huge grin on his face. A grin that, by the sight of Matthew, got smaller. I grimaced. "Hey, Embry - sorry I didn't tell you earlier but..um.. Matt thought he'd come with me 'cause he...err-"

"I need to ask Jake a couple of stuff," Matt lied and patted my back, getting in the garage, leaving me with Embry.

I had to take a step back to be able to look at Embry in the eye. His smile was so wide and so surprisingly calming that my heart beat got slower, more relaxed. His russet skin contrasted with his bright white teeth, making him look so stunningly amazing. I would stop drooling, but I needed a distraction.

"You look pretty," he commented, eyeing my outfit and hair.

I felt my cheeks getting darker and I looked at the ground. "Thanks. So...uh," I said, "Are you working on the Porsche now?"

He chuckled and took my hand. His hand was so stunningly hot that I gasped inwardly but he didn't seem to notice. He led me inside and showed me the white Porsche Jake was buried under. Jacob slid out, his face all greasy, and smiled at me. "Oh hey, Mary," he said, "Whatcha doing here?"

I looked at Embry who looked like he could shoot his friend and back at Jake. "I came here to check if Embry really could work with cars like he said he could."

Jake laughed. "Embry? Cars? Nah I bring him around here to mop the ground."

Embry rolled his eyes. "Stop that, she'll believe you."

Jacob laughed harder. "Alright. Look, Mary he's great with cars," he said before looking at him, "Happy, Em? Just stay away from this one until I check the engine again."

He chuckled, raising his hands in the air. "Whatever." He turned to me, releasing our hands. "Lemme show you the place then."

The garage was pretty plain - the walls were covered with wood, where they hung their tools on little hangers. Inside, they had a little room where they kept all the heavier stuff - the boxes and spare parts and all of that. They also had a secretary and all - some blonde that looked like she couldn't add up two numbers together.

We ended up sitting in a corner. "So how are things? How's your elbow?"

I grinned at him. He was just so easy to be with. "Yeah, I'm fine. How are you? You still jog shirtless?"

He laughed. "Yeah, sure. It's fun. You should try it out sometime." He wiggled his eyebrows. I gave him a look that said 'Seriously?' to which he responded with a wide eye and a defensive manner. "I'm kidding! Jesus."

I laughed. Matt walked towards us then. "He's here, Mary."

I'm quick, so don't kill me for a simple cliffy! I love you guys 3 :P Review PLEASE! :D