Chapter 11 — Bella

Rose drags me onto the dancefloor, drinks in our hands and our jackets discarded on a chair somewhere.

Jasper looks preoccupied, his eyes glued to Maria by the bar before he whispers something in my ear. My eyes grow wide when the words register. Alice is back.

I put a hand on his shoulder and lean closer to try and have a somewhat normal conversation while the music is loud and the alcohol flows freely. It's a little distracting, to say the least.

"I can't hear you, come outside with me." I nod my head toward the pool that glistens in the moonlight, and Jasper follows.

He takes a pack of smokes out of his shirt pocket and lights up before he sits down on one of the loungers. I take a seat next to him, wishing I had my jacket right now. A shudder runs through me and I rub my palms warm against my thighs.

"Is Tyler with her?" I ask.

"He's not," Jasper grumbles. Seems he hates Tyler like the rest of us. "Thank fuck." He takes a long drag from his cigarette and stares at the ground.

"Well, I'm glad she said hi in person," I remark sarcastically.

"I know you're probably pissed at her, but ah… hear her out, okay? She told me a lot of great things about you. I hope you live up to them." It's all he says before smoke furls around his face.

"What the fuck, Jas?" I'm startled by the loud, angry voice of Maria. She comes out of the pool house with heavy footsteps, her dress fluttering around her thin legs and a scowl on her face. I notice she's looking—glaring—at me while she's talking to Jasper. Her eyes look cloudy and angry; unfocused.

"What is it, Maria?" Jasper sounds tired and agitated, and rubs his face.

"As if you even have to fucking ask!" She throws her hands up dramatically. "You're out here with this slutty little girl while I'm left all by myself inside? The fuck, Jasper?!"

"Hey, what's your fucking problem?" I don't sit back and watch as people talk shit about me. That's not who I am.

"I," Maria begins. I can tell she's on something, with her hazy eyes and by the way she moves. Her coordination is off. She's using, but she's supposed to be sober. I know Jasper sees this too. He looks pissed. "Am his girlfriend, okay," she slurs. "He's mine, fucking whore. Don't think you can steal him away from me."

"Maria, stop this." Jasper grabs both of her hands in his. It's a gentle, caring gesture that she rebukes as she slaps him across the face. I gasp at her aggressive behavior.

"Okay," Jasper breathes. "This is your last fucking straw. I'm calling you a cab. You're going home." He's calm, but I can sense he's filled with rage. Only he's too much of a gentleman to stoop to her level.

"No!" Maria is yelling and attracting attention in the most negative way. I watch Rose, who's walking outside instantly while I see Jasper ordering an Uber for his girlfriend. "Unless you're going home with me, I'm not going anywhere, Jasper." Her threat is idle, tears streaming down her face, turning her complexion blotchy.

Jasper doesn't even respond to her, but Rose stands in front of Maria, grabbing her face between her hands. I don't think there's any use in fighting Rose off because she's remarkably taller and buff as fuck compared to the mess of a woman in front of her.

"What have you been taking?" Rose sneers in her face.

There's no answer, just sniffles and crying while Maria struggles to get out of Rose's grip. And fails.

"She's high as fuck," I remark, shaking my head.

"Wow, to think this creature wants to become a mother. She should be ashamed of herself, especially when she claims Jasper is the scum," Rose mutters.

My eyes widen. A mother? Maria?

"Jas, buddy…" Emmett puts a hand on Jasper's shoulder before he looks over at me. "You okay, Balls?"

I nod and gnaw my lip, feeling mighty uncomfortable because of this fight that I'm third-wheeling. I look for Ed, but can't seem to find him anywhere. He must be with Alice if Jasper says she's back.

"There were photographers outside, but I don't think they got a glimpse… Well, at least they didn't see Jas or Ed."

"Sweetheart…" Vic sighs. She takes the spot next to Jas on one of the loungers, draping her arms around him in a comforting embrace. Her expression is one filled with sadness. I feel like the odd one out, the black duckling trying to dissolve into the background. I really shouldn't be here.

I get up, ready to go back to my room and leave this night behind. There's no use in lingering, especially not when there's drama like this. This is a friend-situation, and I don't know any of these people well enough to give them my opinion or to stay and listen to what they all think.

"Where you going?" Rose asks when I drape my jacket over my shoulders and turn to walk inside the main house.

"Up to my room. I'm tired," I lie.

"Baby, come on," she says. "Don't let Maria chase you off. She's a harmless piece of shit who thrives on making others feel bad."

"Jasper said Alice is back," I blurt out. "I wanna go see her."

"Oh, okay." Rose bites her lip. "Give me your phone," she continues.

"I don't have it on me," I say. "No pockets." I motion to my dress.

"Here." Rose hands me hers instead. "Give me your number so we can chat." Her smile is bright, and knowing she wants to text me later makes me feel a bit better.

"There you go."

"Sweet dreams." She kisses my cheek before she lets me go. "I'll say goodbye to the others for you."

"Thanks, Rose." I give her a smile.

Once I'm inside, I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. When I turn to walk upstairs in search of Alice, I bump into Ed, who catches me before I fall into the counter.

"Oh, shit," I gasp. "Sorry, didn't know you were here."

"Yeah." Damn, this is awkward.

"I heard Alice is back."

"She is… she's asleep, though," he says, hands in his front pockets, the denim dipping down. I drag my eyes up and swallow thickly, willing these thoughts to go away.

"Wow, she doesn't even have the decency to come talk to me. Nice friend," I mutter to myself as I try to walk off.

Ed's hand finds my shoulder, stopping me. There's a frown on his face. "Hey," he begins. "We need to talk."

That shit never bodes well. I bet he's gonna tell me to move out. My boxes haven't even been recycled yet. I guess that's what I get for complaining about his daughter's behavior.

"'Kay," I breathe, and follow him to the garage, bracing myself. Ed sits down on the couch there, and I look around the room, feeling uncomfortable as hell.

"Alice broke up with Tyler," he says. I arch a brow, seriously offended that my best friend didn't even talk to me about it.

"What, her land of rainbows and sunshine got cloudy?" I huff. She goes off to jet around town with Tyler, doesn't even text me, and now they've broken up and she's back?

"Cub, sit the fuck down and quit the attitude." He surprises me with his firm tone. I can tell he's serious, and I get the sense that there's something wrong, but I can't put my finger on it. So I get passive aggressive. As usual. It's a toxic trait I can't shake.

"Why should I sit down? I'm gonna pack my stuff, alright? I get it. I'm intruding."

Ed shakes his head, one arm draped over the back of the black leather couch. "Stop trying to pack up and leave. This is about Alice. Not about you," he says harshly, putting me rightfully in my place.

"Wow." I roll my eyes. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on, then? Or is this whole thing on a need-to-know basis?"

"You know why we hate Tyler?" he asks.

"Because he's a piece of shit who probably wipes his ass with hundred dollar bills?" I cross my arms in front of my chest as I walk closer. My laces tickle my ankles with each step. I can't stand still, not when I feel so anxious all of a sudden.

Ed tugs my arm, fingers locking around my wrist. He keeps them there when he pulls me to sit down and look at him. He's too fucking hot for this world. Even in full dad-mode.

"That's not even scratching the fucking surface." He looks angry, but I'm not sure what I've done wrong. "Tell me about their relationship."

I blink a couple of times, taken aback by his question. "Why?" I wonder.

"Because I'm Alice's fucking father, Bella, and I need to know what went on behind closed doors." The fact that he calls me by my name makes me realize there's definitely something wrong. If I was a cat, my ears would perk up.

"Is Alice okay?" I need to know.

"She will be now that she's finally free from that asshole."

"Wait a second, what did he do?"

Ed rubs his face before his palm meets my bare knee. I like the contrast of his tattooed knuckles on my pale skin, of the sensation of cold, silver rings battling the feverish feeling that's building within me.

"He fucking hit her, cub." Ed's whisper is violent. "That's why you need to tell me everything you know."

"Wait, what?" I'm stunned. True, Tyler is an ass, but I thought he was harmless. I thought he was just a benign snob with a thousand sticks up his ass. Hell, he might even have spiky sticks up his urethra. I ball my fists, not quite knowing what to do with this anger. "He… what?" I still can't believe it.

"Yeah, I know." It's like he can read my thoughts, how I want to go over to his fucking penthouse and punch his lights out.

"Why didn't she talk to me?" My face falls. The fact that Alice thought she couldn't trust me with this makes my heart break.

"Please, baby, tell me what you know." The look on Ed's face breaks my heart, eyes sad but burning with rage for the wrong that's been done to his Alice. His grip on my knee tightens, and he pulls away with a shy expression when I look down at his hand. So I take his hand, letting him know he's not crossing any lines. Not even close.

I bite my lip. "I—I don't know," I start. "They didn't stay at our apartment a lot. Tyler made Alice come over to his place because the little limp-dick bitch didn't like the lack of luxury at our place." I roll my eyes because every sentence Tyler has ever uttered in my presence has that effect on me.

"Is it true her mother set them up?"

"Well, Jean knows Tyler's family, I think. One of his relatives lives over there in Cali, his aunt. I think she's one of Jean's close friends from the country club."

"Fucking bitch," he mumbles. "God, she's gonna be sorry for this entire thing." My fingers lace tighter around Ed's wrist. It seems to calm him down for a minute.

"You're not gonna, like, kill her. Are you?" It's half meant as a joke, but I know he's had issues with violence in the past.

"She should be that lucky. But no. I'm gonna make sure she knows what the fuck she's done to our daughter," he says. "I convinced Ali to press charges, and to take pictures of her bruises."

I nod.

"How the fuck haven't I noticed shit was wrong?" I feel stupid, like the worst kind of friend in the entire world. "My best friend is being beat-up by her fucking boyfriend and I didn't even know. I can't believe myself."

"It's not your fault," Ed comforts me, his fingers finding mine, entwining them together.

I huff, trying to focus on how safe Ed makes me feel. "I'm fucking serious," he whispers, his thumb caressing the back of my hand.

"I didn't know I could hate him even more than I already did," I tell him.

"Alice should have walked away from him the second he laid a fucking finger on her."

"She told me she loved him," I say, and shrug.

"No, sweetheart." Ed shakes his head passionately. "Ali's snake of a mother made her love his wallet, his family name… She totally turned Alice into a material little brat."

"But Alice has enough money herself, right? I mean…" I motion to the room, and Ed chuckles, knowing exactly what I mean. A guy like him simply must have a trust fund set up for his only child.

"Sure, but she can't access that yet."

I'm baffled.

"What about all the expensive shit she wears? The rent? Where is that coming from, then?" I wonder. "The pot of gold she found at the end of the fucking rainbow?" I arch a brow. My humor makes Ed laugh.

"The clothes are from mommy's new husband," he says. "And the rent? The rent was from me, because I asked her to come to Chicago."

"Oh, my god," I roll my eyes, frustrated that Alice managed to wrap me all around her finger, and about the fact that I never asked any questions. "I didn't even know. She acts as if she's loaded!" Alice Masen: the queen of deception.

"She will be when she turns twenty-five."

"But I don't get it," I start. "Why does her mom want Alice with Tyler, then? I mean, if Alice is already gonna have more money than she knows what to do with, why would she need a wealthy boyfriend?"

Ed laughs humorlessly, his eyes focused on his inked palm around mine.

"Because Jean doesn't want anything to do with me. Therefore, she doesn't want Alice to have anything to do with me. If someone else provides the money, Alice won't need me," he states. "Or the trust fund I set up for her. So it would be easier for Jean to further brainwash my daughter into stepping away from me. For good."

My eyes widen. "The fuck?" I huff. "As if Alice only needs you for your money."

There's a minute of silence that doesn't feel as awkward as I thought it would. I let out a sigh, my head dropping to Ed's shoulder. "Why didn't she tell me anything?" I ask, my voice low. "She completely kept me in the dark."

Ed shifts in his seat, throwing his free arm around me. It feels warm and comfortable and safe… and I don't even know why, but it takes me back to our little moment in the kitchen earlier tonight. Even if that should be the furthest thing on my mind right now with all this shit I just learned about.

"She was scared of how you'd react. But I made Ali promise to talk to you in the morning. She was gaslit, baby. Abusers cut you off from the people you're close to. They want you all to themselves, no witnesses. They want you so alone and lonely that they're the only person you can turn to."

I lean further into Ed's embrace, his words seeping through my entire system. I can just feel he's talking from experience. That kills me even more.

"What about what happened between us in the kitchen?" I wonder. The words come out faster than I can close my mouth. "Ever wonder how Ali would react to that?" I sound bitter as hell. God, I'm so screwed up.

Ed takes a deep breath and curses. I shouldn't have started this conversation while he's dealing with a crisis.

"Nevermind." I try to get up but can't, pulled back by Ed who's got a steady grip on my wrist.

"I'm not worried about what Ali might think, bestie. What did you think?" he presses. It's like his eyes can see right through me, but I avert my gaze because I'm sure he's got some voodoo-type shit hidden in those greens that can make me do anything he wants. I can't give in to that. Can I?

"It was… nice," I bluff.

Ed huffs, and I make the mistake of looking at him. So playful and hot with that smirk on his face.

"Nice?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, fuck nice," he states roughly. "What about this?"

I don't have time to dodge, to lean in, or do anything else for that matter. Ed's lips are on my own faster than lightning strikes. Sure, I've kissed him before, but he claims them as his this time, not leaving any room for my bitter speculation or snarky remarks. Fire burns through me as he licks my tongue with his, as he completely owns my mouth, heart beating a million times a minute.

I'm screwed. Because this kiss isn't nice. It's the kiss I've been craving since I was fifteen. The all-consuming kind. The kind that makes your knees weak and your heart stutter.

It's the kiss that gets me in trouble. For sure. The tastiest trouble in the world.

Dun dun dunnnnnnnnn