Disclaimer: I don't own twilight.
Two days after walking home from the park with Edward Cullen, Mike Newton came to school with two black eyes and a broken arm. I was pretty sure it was Edward who had beaten him up, if it had been Emmett he probably would just have a black eye.
Edward probably would have given him a broken leg too, only he probably went easy on him cause he's a Newton and everyone knows the Newton's are cowards, have been ever since their great grandfather ran away from the war, said he was afraid of dying, so they shot him in the head.
Alice said two black eyes suited Mike Newton and Jasper said that we'd best saviour it, cause after that beating Newton wasn't going to be putting a foot out of line.
Alice and Jasper went to the Port Angeles fair that weekend, they had invited me to come but I didn't want to be in their way so I said no. I did stay and wait with Jasper while Alice got ready though.
I asked him about what Edward had said about Jasper and I being seen behind the diner together. Jasper seemed relieved when I had told him that I had put Edward straight and said that he hoped Edward would get off his back now. I said I would talk to him, If he said anything more on the subject.
Alice had come down then in her new dress and twirled for him. Jasper beamed wide, took her hand and lead her out the door, but not before being told gruffly by Edward, who had just walked in the door that moment, to have her home before it got cold.
Edward had nodded towards me and asked if I wasn't going with them. I shook my head and no and took my leave just as Edward flopped down on the couch in exhaustion. I wondered if he had been out all night and where he had been, but then decided I didn't want to know.
The next morning, as I was walking home from Billy's groceries I spotted Edward sitting on the wall outside my house. Edward didn't come by our house anymore, except for that time Charlie got sick and Esme sent him over with groceries and the day Emmett graduated from high school, Edward had come to congratulate him and stayed for all of five minutes after that.
So I ducked in the bushes and waited to see why Edward was there. I figured if I couldn't find out this way I never would, or at least I'd be waiting three years for someone to finally deem me old enough and tell me.
I had expected that Edward was waiting on Emmett but instead he rose from the wall when Rosalie Hale came by.
I was angry knowing that Edward had been there waiting for her. I thought for a moment that they were going behind Emmett's back again and I hated how I knew that would hurt Emmett and admittedly me.
But my anger faded when I saw how very angry Edward was. His voice was low but he still seemed to be shouting at her. Rosalie looked purely confused and a bit hurt by what he said. I was too far away to hear them but I did see when Edward threw up his arms, pointed towards the house, yelled 'ask him' and stalked back towards his own house.
Rosalie stared at Edward's back for a moment in what looked to me like suspicion before turning and walking into my house. I saw her, through the window, walk into the kitchen where Emmett was making something to eat.
I had slowly crept into the house after her, not bothering to close the screen door because I knew they'd just know I was there. I sat against the wall in the hall and listened in, because after what Edward had told me I refused to be left in the dark anymore.
"You lied to me", I heard Rosalie accuse, her voice not angry like I had expected but hurt.
"What are you…", Emmett began but Rosalie cut him off "Don't bullshit me Emmett. You lied to me".
There was a rustling in the kitchen and I took the chance of peeking inside, Rosalie was standing with her back to me, her arms crossed over her chest and Emmett was turning to face her. I whipped back around the corner so I wouldn't be seen and continued to listen.
"What you said about Jasper. You lied", she said slowly.
"What makes you…", Rosalie cut Emmett off again "Edward Cullen came by".
Emmett huffed and I heard one of our old chairs scrape against the floor. "Oh".
"Yeah, oh", Rosalie barked.
"How could you Emmett? That's your little sister, my brother", Rosalie's words were pained and anxious.
"I was trying to protect Bella", Emmett claimed. "By tarnishing her good name?", Rosalie demanded.
"By keeping her away from that bastard".
There was a long, loaded stretch of silence before Rosalie spoke again "You messed up Emmett".
Emmett ignored her and asked instead "How did he find out?"
"Because", Rosalie growled in frustration "Bella can't lie for toffee, you know that. He just asked her".
"Emmett, Jasper's my brother", Rosalie whispered.
"And Bella's my sister and if this is what it takes to keep that bastard away from her then so be it!", Emmett shouted.
"And how would this have helped Emmett really?", she hissed "making up lies about your sister and my brother behind that damn diner, what good would that do?".
My jaw clenched as I listened to them argue, it was my own brother who spread these rumours of me behind the diner with Jasper. He was the one making me out to be no better then Emily Stanley or Leah Clearwater.
"Because Rose", Emmett said lowly "don't you see, the Bella Edward knows is sweet and innocent, that Bella barely knows what's going on behind that diner let alone part of it. But if I can make Edward think that Bella is nothing like what he thinks then maybe I can keep him away from her, at least for now", Emmett whispered this all as if it made perfect sense and made him the perfect brother.
"And is that worth it?", Rosalie hissed "is it worth having this whole town think Bella a common slut?".
"Bella's no…", Emmett defended weakly. "Yeah well that's what everyone will say, and you know it'll be your fault", she insisted.
"Emmett", Rosalie called softly "I know alright. I know what it's like to go behind that wall as if it means nothing and the next day to find you ain't just Rosalie Hale anymore, now you're Rosalie Hale, the hussy", she sighed in exhaustion and muttered "It ain't worth it Emmett".
"I'd best be going, my ma'll be wondering where I got to", Rosalie shuffled slightly and I knew she would walk around the corner and see me, she would know I had heard everything but I couldn't move and I just didn't see the point.
I heard Rosalie gasp and whisper my name softly. I didn't bother turning my head to look at her and when Emmett asked me what I was doing there, his voice breaking, I feebly held up the plastic bag in my hand and muttered "groceries".
There was a long stretch of silence before Emmett told me we needed to talk. I hadn't seen what there was left to talk about but I had followed him to the kitchen anyway.
"Bella I think it's time I told you why Edward and I don't talk no more", I had looked at Emmett strangely, because surely there was a more pressing matter to attend to first.
I had stood up then and began to put away the groceries, because I couldn't stand to look at Emmett any longer. "Bella sit down", he had told me gruffly but I shook my head and told him there was no need.
"Damn it Bella", he had exclaimed "you asked me this a hundred times over and now when I'm ready to tell you, you ain't listening", Emmett threw up his arms in frustration and plopped down in frustration.
I told him, in a real quiet tone, that I didn't need him to tell me; cause Edward already had.
I had half expected him to be relieved that the job had been done and that he wouldn't have to tell me but when I had turned around Emmett's fists were clenched and he was turning a nasty shade of puce.
Rosalie told him to calm down, that it wasn't a big deal but Emmett had muttered a low oath under his breath and stormed out the door. I exchanged an anxious look with Rosalie and I think we both knew where he was headed.
Rosalie and I both sprinted out the door after him but Rosalie was faster, even with the extra inch on her shoes. She was only a few feet behind Emmett cause he was tall and his strides were longer and he had anger to fuel him. I trailed behind, stumbling and huffing as I tried to catch up.
Emmett got to the Cullen house pretty quick and started banging furiously on the door, Carlisle opened the door and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Emmett.
"Is Edward home?", he spat.
Carlisle looked taken aback and he shook his head quickly "He's over at Billy's with Esme getting some…", he trailed off as Emmett spun around and stormed off in the direction of the main road.
I ran after Emmett too and heard footsteps behind me, indicating that Carlisle too was following behind me. I glanced back and saw Carlisle sprinting behind me, probably predicting a fight and Alice was trailing behind him, stumbling nervously as she tried to keep up.
Emmett spun around a corner and stormed up to Edward, who was strolling along beside Esme swinging two plastic bags in his hands.
Emmett jabbed Edward in the chest furiously and screamed curses at the top of his voice. Everyone within a fifteen metre radius stopped and gaped at us and I buried my head in my heads with embarrassment.
"Emmett let's just go", I said, but he ignored me and continued to splutter curses at Edward.
Eventually he did manage to explain what it was he was angry about, between oaths, and when he did manage to explain in a strangled voice that Edward had went back on his word, Edward's eyes immediately snapped to meet mine.
"She had a right to know", he said simply in defence.
"And that was your only reasoning?", Emmett bellowed.
"If I didn't tell her", Edward pointed out "who would've? You? That ships been a long time coming", he muttered under his breath. Emmett's mouth twisted and his face screwed up in anger. He called Edward something that I didn't quite understand, swung back his arm and landed a punch square in Edward's eye.
Esme screamed from behind Edward as he lunged at Emmett and they rolled and tussled at our feet. Edward struggled back up to his feet and I managed to pull myself between the two before Edward lunged again.
"Stop!", I screamed, one hand on either chest, my body heaving even though they had been the ones fighting "Just stop!".
"You don't understand", Emmett insisted, spitting at the ground; and it didn't escape my notice that he was somehow missing a tooth.
"I understand well enough", I claimed "or at least I would, if you ever bothered to actually tell me anything".
Emmett straightened his back and glared heavily at me "So you're taking that bastard's side, huh?".
Edward struggled against my hand, but I knew he wouldn't move much for fear of hurting me. "I ain't taking nobody's side", I looked Emmett in the eye "but honestly Em, who else would have told me? You? Edward's right, you never would've told me".
"I was telling you today wasn't I", Emmett yelled. "After you saw I was listenin' to Rose and you anyway".
Emmett huffed and crossed his arms "I'm your brother".
"And sometimes I don't need someone to protect me all the time", I hissed "Hell, I still don't know why Ma left".
Emmett was silent, opening and closing his mouth, resembling the big trout my father had caught at the river last year and I'd begged him to throw back, out of mercy.
His jaw clenched and he turned away "You go to him then Bella, it's what you've been doing all these years, running away to the Cullen house. Like we weren't good enough for you".
Emmett's shoulders squared and he stalked back in the direction he'd came, followed closely by Rose.
I had turned back to Edward then, and seen he had a bloody mouth and his eye looked like it'd be black by morning, Esme had rushed him on home and I followed them inside the Cullen house, cause I didn't know for sure what'd be waiting for me at home. I didn't enter though without remembering Emmett's speech about me running off to the Cullen's 'cause my only family weren't good enough, I shrugged it off though 'cause I figured Em was mad and didn't have the right to judge me over something that didn't hurt no one.
Esme had grabbed a bag of frozen corn from the freezer and I remember being pretty surprised when Edward had come and spread himself out on the couch; wearily laying his head on my lap.
I had stroked his hair after a moment though, and he didn't seem to mind and I needed the distraction. Edward didn't talk and none of his family came in the rest of the evening.
That day I had skipped sitting on the porch with Carlisle, instead I sat inside; with Edward.
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