Bella POV

After Edward had snapped at me, I lost all desire to even be at school anymore. Still, I did not cry. I did not move. A single thought barely even could process inside my head. This is just how I dealt with problems. It was sort of a mechanism of mine to push away any thoughts, and become an emotionless zombie.

Charlie was still at work, and by the time he came home, he'd assume I'd gotten home from school just minutes before him. The worst thing that could happen right now is that Charlie receive a phone call from the school again. After the day I had, I wished that the remainder go peacefully.

But my life wasn't peaceful. It wasn't peaceful at all.

Around 4:30, Charlie stumbled in the house, and I could hear his boots squeaking against the wooden floors.

"Bella!" he yelped.

I couldn't take any more at the moment. So I tiptoed to my closet, and hid in it, in the hopes that he'd think I was not yet home and would pass out on the couch while awaiting my arrival.

I heard his stomping all the way up the stairs, and I held my breath in. For a moment I felt like a criminal on the run from the police. Where in fact my dad was the chief of police. But I was not a criminal. Or was I? I can never tell what I am anymore.

Luck had finally come my way for a second, as he gave up and went back downstairs after finding my room empty. I sighed in contentment, knowing he would not come back up, and would likely fall asleep on the couch after downing some whiskey.

For a couple hours I relaxed on my bed, staring at the paint of my ceiling. My room was colored in blue, which was always my favorite color. When we were younger, Edward told me that was his favorite color on me.

And this is where my thoughts trace back to Edward, and everything we used to be.

I have no intentions on rekindling a friendship with him. I've gone this long without him. I don't need him anymore. I love who he used to be, not who he is now. So really, I'm not missing out. The Edward I knew and loved left Forks long ago.

After a while, I grew tired of staring at the ceiling. I could hear Charlie's faint snore, and so I decided I'd get everything over with already. I gathered my clothes and backpack, went downstairs quietly, taking myself to the door. It definitely looked like I'd just came home, and luckily it wasn't raining outside, so the fact that I was dry would not spark any suspicion. Even drunk and emotionally unstable, Charlie was perceptive. He's a police officer, it's a part of his everyday life. Even though there's not much to be perceptive of in Forks. It was a quiet town with not much crime besides the occasional car accident.

I shut the door in a motion that I knew would wake Charlie from his deep slumber.

"Urgh," he mumbled. And my heart immediately grew worrisome. I knew what I had coming.

"Hey, I'm home from school," I said casually, hoping to ease some tension.

"At 7 o'clock? I knoooooow you skipped school but what have you been doing since 3?"

"I don't know," I replied.

"You don't know? You've been out all night and skipping school and you don't know what you've been doing?" Charlie spoke, beginning to raise his voice.

"I've been studying at the library," I stated innocently.

"Buuullshit. If I know you, you're a whore like your mother. Whooooo have you been fucking now?" Charlie slurred.

"No one, Dad! Even if I was, it'd be none of your business." I was kind of shocked at what I said. Years ago, I could have said that to the old Charlie and he would have shot something sarcastic back at me. But he was not playful. Not at all anymore.

"Yoooou…" he started, eyes filled with anger. "You!"

I didn't know what he was heading toward, but I decided to just take it upon myself to walk upstairs. Trying to avoid any conflict. But drunk Charlie was not to be beckoned with.

I ran upstairs as fast as I could, and shut the door, hoping he wouldn't come after me. But I heard his stomp and all too quickly he was in my room, lunging toward my face.

"You follow the rules in this town. Don't make me look bad! Your mother already did that." That was the most coherent sentence he'd spoken today. I said nothing, so he continued. "I oughta beat your ass for what you do to me."

My stomach was turning into knots inside. I thought I was used to this kind of abuse but it still kind of hurts every time. And I think what hurts the worst is the verbal abuse. To have those kind of words be spoken about me by someone I used to look up to and care for so much, really hurts.

"Do it," I said.

Oh god. No, no, no. What did I just say? Why did I just say that? I suppose my day had just rattled my brain so much that I didn't care what happened next.

And what happened next was Charlie's hand colliding across my face. I fell to the ground almost immediately and the last thing Charlie said was, "bitch".

My heart felt heavy but I still didn't cry. I gathered all the strength that my body had and pulled myself up. Everything was over with now. Nothing else could happen today. I could go to sleep and then tomorrow is a new day.

But today was not over with… Because when I turned my back around facing toward my window, I saw Edward standing directly across, behind his window, face ridden with shock at the scene he'd just witnessed.

A/N: Review and tell me what you think! I hope you like this story so far!

xoxo, B.