So I really hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and thank you everyone for the reviews, they really really make me happy.

Also, Happy Birthday Keke! I am sorry I am cutting it so close for this 24 hours, but my roomates had to go out for awhile, so I had to babysit, which meant I got a late start, however, here is the next chapter, on your birthday!

Please R&R!

Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight

Chapter 13: A Feigning Normality

EPOV

My alarm went off from beside us, startling both of us from our distractions. I set down my notebook, and reached across Bella to turn it off. She then sighed, and offered me a small reassuring smile.

I tried my best to return it.

She headed out of my room then without a single word, probably because I am sure her throat fucking hurt like hell.

I stood up myself, and went straight to the shower. When I got in there, I tried to wash the dread from the previous day off. Dropping her off there, and leaving her there was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. We both knew what was going to happen. Bella had never completely told me everything that went down there, but I knew it was bad.

I had no idea how she was so fucking strong about it all, when I just wanted curl up in a ball and ball my eyes out like a fucking baby.

I could tell though, that effected her a hell of a lot more than she ever let on.

In my car last night, she was breaking right before my eyes. Just me raising my voice pushed her into a panic attack. The fucking song that she whispered while she tried to keep herself together fucking told it all.

I wondered how much shit she had trapped in that head of hers. It was obvious now why she never seemed effected. She was repressing the hell out of everything. I knew for a fact that it wouldn't work forever, and would end up causing more damage in the long run.

Which meant that I needed to find a way to get her to deal with some of it, without pushing her over the fucking edge. I didn't have the faintest idea how to do that.

At least, she was safe for the next five days. I didn't have to bring her home for another five days.

When I got out of the shower, I got dressed and went to wait downstairs while Bella got made up by Alice. I didn't know how she was going to hide the marks on her throat, but I knew she would. Bella had gone so long without anyone finding out, so I doubted she was an amateur in hiding injuries.

About a half an hour later, Bella came downstairs, moving somewhat gingerly, but god did she fucking look gorgeous. She had done something to cover up the bruises, and she was wearing those jeans that made her ass look fantastic, along with a form fitting long sleeved sweater. Alice had done her hair again, leaving it mostly down except some clipped on the sides. Her hair was smooth and sleek until the bottom where it went into bouncy little curls.

Bella smiled as she sat down at the table with me, immediately starting on her eggs.

"Bella dear, you look wonderful." Esme complimented, but I could see it in her eyes. Esme was starting to know something was going on, she just had no idea what.

"Thank you Esme. Thank you again for everything." She said quietly, trying not to show off how rough her voice was.

"Bella, is everything okay? Is your father still down in La Push?" she asked.

"Yeah. He went back last night. I think he is seeing a girl down there." She said with wide smile that was supposed to look excited, though it didn't touch her eyes. Anyone who didn't know any better would just be more worried that was having difficulty seeing her dad date.

"Oh, well you know you are more than welcome here anytime. I don't like the idea of a young girl like yourself staying all alone in a house all the time. You never know would could happen." Esme said, smiling gently.

"Thank you." Bella smiled, forcing another bite of egg down her throat, before she starts just pushing it around her plate.

"Bella. I think we should go shopping after school." She said with a grin.

Bella looks at her, and smiles a little. "Sure Alice, that sounds fun." She said quietly.

Alice smiles a little also, but it doesn't touch her eyes. Alice knew something was up also.

"I'll go too." I said, not liking the idea of her being out of my sight at the moment. I knew it was a little ridiculous, but the moment I realized I wouldn't be there, I was filled with fucking dread.

"What?" Alice dropped her fork, looking completely shocked.

Even Esme stopped what she was doing to stare at me.

"Yeah, I uh—I could use some new jeans." I said, which was bullshit.

"Cool, why don't we all go. I can call up Rosie." Emmett said with a grin, dispelling the awkwardness. I was suddenly glad for fucking Emmett.

"Oh, I will call Jazz up!" Alice said with a grin.

Esme wasn't fooled though, I could tell. She was still watching me with appraising eyes, and so was Bella.

A few minutes later, we all got up to leave for school. Bella hadn't even eaten half of her breakfast. That had me worried, because she really did love her fucking food, and she really needed to gain weight. I was hoping it was just because of her throat.

She followed me out to my car, and we both got in.

"Edward, you don't have to if you don't want to." She said, looking at me earnestly.

"I want to. I need jeans." I said, shrugging.

"Sure. I know why you want to go. You're still freaked from last night. I understand that, but I am sure I will be fine just going shopping with Alice." She said in a soft voice.

I sighed a little bit, but didn't deny it as I took her hand quietly, it fucking fit perfectly in mine.

"Let's just… pretend it didn't happen. We can just go back to normal while we can. I don't have to go back for a few days."

I squeezed her hand tighter at the thought of her going back. "I don't think I can ever pretend it didn't happen." I say honestly, and I also really didn't think she should either.

"It gets easier to do." She smiles a little.

"I don't want to have anything that needs to be forgotten. We need to figure out a way to get you out of there."

She sighs a little. "If there was a way, I would have been out of there already. I have tried, and it just makes everything worse."

"How can it be worse?" I ask, narrowing my eyes as I watch the road.

"He could kill me." She said nonchalantly.

I immediately slammed on the breaks and pull over. "That's it. I can't let you fucking go back!" I say through my teeth, trying not to yell, but I was boiling.

"If I don't go back, you know he can get me back just as easily." She said. "Last time I tried, he put an amber alert out."

"Then we can fucking go somewhere, far away." I plead.

"I am not ripping you away from your family Edward. Your family is too fucking good for that." She says sternly, then her voice softens. "Besides, Amber Alert is countrywide. We would have to leave the country, which neither of us can do without a parent to set up our passports."

"You've thought it through." I said quietly, feeling the familiar burn of defeat.

"I have. Only a year and a half." She said, obviously to herself as to me.

I nod quietly as I start driving again, biting back my frustration.

BPOV

Edward was taking this hard. I wished there was something I could do to make it easier on him. It fucking killed me more than anything Charlie could do to me to see him hurting like this, all because of me. He didn't even want me going out with his sister without him there.

As we pulled into the parking lot of the school, he sighed, not letting go, or moving to get out.

I wracked my brain for a moment, then grinned a little. "So, there is this elderly couple, right?" I start, and he just looks at me like I'm crazy.

"They almost divorced, you want to know why?" I ask him. He decides to play along, and nods.

"Well they were driving one night, and suddenly a small animal ran in front of their car. The wife screamed as the man hit it. They pulled over, and the wife said 'We need to see if it's okay!'"

"So they got out of the car, and went over to the animal. It was a skunk, but it was still alive, so the wife then says 'Honey, poor thing, we need to get him to the vet.' The husband agrees, and they get into the car with the injured skunk."

"A few minutes into the ride, the wife says sadly 'oh look at the poor thing, it's shivering, it must be cold.' "

"The man then looks over, and says 'Just put him in between your legs.'"

"'What about the smell?' the wife asks."

I pause a moment, trying to force back the grin that might give it away.

"Then the husband says 'Just plug its nose.' "

Edward stares at me for a moment dumbfounded for a moment, before he barks out a laugh.

I grin at him, not bothering to suppress my own giggles.

"Bella, that was absolutely vile." He said in between chuckles with a slight scolding tone.

"I try." I grin.

We both get out of the car, in significantly lighter spirits as we make our way into the school, his hand taking mine as soon as we are at the door to the school.

As soon as we are in the main hallway, Jessica Stanley, and Lauren Mallory run up to us, or rather, to Edward.

"Hey Eddy." Jessica coos. Edward grips my hand tighter as I feel something flare through my body, at the sight of them touching him. Jealousy? All I knew is I wanted to rip their eyes out.

Lauren and Jessica look at him, pretending like I am not even there. "So, I was wondering. Are you going to come to the party tonight? It's at Newton's tonight." Lauren asks, twirling a piece of her bleach blonde hair in between her fingers.

"Probably not. Now if you don't mind—Move." He said, side stepping them, never letting go of the vice grip he had on my hand.

"I am guessing you don't like them so much." I said with a grin at his obvious repulsion.

"Well, that Stanley bitch stalked me for like eight months last year." He said.

"Really? I thought I heard that somewhere, but I don't usually listen too much to rumors." I said.

"Yeah, she even showed up at my house a few times, introducing herself as my girlfriend to my fucking parents. She would also do creepy shit like follow me to the bathroom at parties, trying to get me to let her suck my dick and shit. It was fucking creepy as hell." He said, giving a shudder.

I tried to hold back my own grin as I imagined her patheticness.

"It's not funny." He said sternly.

"Nope. Not at all. Who's name are you guys taking? Edward Stanley, or Jessica Cullen?" I burst out laughing at his look of disgust.

"Bella, not cool." He said, a smile twitching at his lips despite his portrayed annoyance.

"The kids would be so… erm… special." I said with a grin, and he fucking starts laughing.

"Yeah, they would be fucking special alright. Not even my fucked up gene pool could help them out." He said through a laugh.

We stopped in front of my classroom, and he leaned over me, my back suddenly against the wall next to the doorway. He looked at me intensely, his emerald eyes boring into my own eyes."Be safe, okay?"

Normally, I would think that was a fairly ridiculous thing to say right before class, but I was mesmerized, and all I could do was nod compliantly.

"Good." He whispered in velvet, before standing up straight slowly, and leaving me there stunned as he made his way to his own class. That was not playing fair.

I made it to my seat. It took me a few moments to realize that pretty much every female, and a couple of guys were all staring at me with varying degrees of malice in their stares.

"What, do I have something on my face?" I snapped at them, and some of them had the decency to look away.

At the end of the period, Edward was at the doorway before I could even get out into the hallway. To say I was surprised would have been an understatement.

"Hey Edward." I smiled, looking up at him.

"Hey. What's your next class?" he asked.

"Math, with Mr. Varner." I say, dumbfounded that he came all the way here just to walk me to class.

He nods, before taking my hand and walking me to my next class. As soon as we get there, he gently presses me against the wall, and leans over me again, giving me that same intense look he did before first period. "Be safe." He says in the same velvety whisper, his lips twitching up in one corner as I just nod dumbly. It worked just as well this time as last. Totally not playing fair.

When I got into class, and Edward was gone, Jessica and Lauren walked up to me. "What in the hell do you think you are doing with Edward?" Jessica asks.

"Umm.." I was still a little out of it from Edward's antics before class.

Suddenly I took stock of their faces as they glared at me, their arms crossed. "I'm sorry, can you repeat your question? I don't speak BlowUpBlonde-anese. "

They took a moment trying to figure out what the hell I had just said. I resisted the urge to face palm as they looked honestly confused.

"Whatever." Lauren said, obviously still not getting it, but probably knowing it was an insult. "We want to know what the hell you think you are doing with Edward."

"Yeah. He doesn't like little slutty gross wannabe freaks like you." Jessica added.

"Slutty?" I asked, eyeing her barely there attire. "Pot calling kettle?"

"Whatever. Just stay away from him." Jessica sneered. "He's mine."

"Or else." Lauren added.

"Oh boy, am I terrified. Or else what? You'll give me a bad manicure in my sleep? Spit your STDs? I am shaking in my converse." I say while rolling my eyes.

They looked even more pissed after, but just walked back to their desk, probably because they couldn't think of a good come back.

The teacher entered the room a moment later, and started class.

The next several classes went much like the first two. Edward walked me to each of my classes, before doing that incredibly sexy, annoying, and unfair thing with his eyes, before telling me to be safe.

It also seemed like almost every female and orientation-questionable male hated me. I was finding hate mail in my locker and in my books. They pretty much all said the same thing "Stay away from Eddie!" it was actually pretty humorous. I had a hard time letting something like this really get to me, considering that I had REAL issues. Some of these were really just straight out hilarious.

At the end of the day, I got into the car with Edward containing a laugh. "Hey Edward, do you know how many girlfriends you have?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow.

He looked at me, genuinely confused.

I started counting the notes from girls that specifically stated he was their boyfriend.

"Well, about fourteen girls apparently think you are their boyfriend, and three guys think you are their gay lover."

He looks confused as I start laughing hard at the ridiculousness of it all. I may not have been his girlfriend, but I knew he sure as hell didn't have any.

I tossed him the notes.

His eyes narrow as he looks at the various pathetic threats and warnings.

"You have been getting these all day?" He asks seriously.

"Yeah, it's actually pretty hilarious." I say with a grin. "Especially the boy who thinks you are the "Robert Pattinson to his Kristen Stewart." I start giggling uncontrollably.

"Don't you think you should report these or something?" He asks, obviously not find this nearly as hilarious as I was.

"What is the worst they can do? Throw their Prada bags at me? Call me names? Start rumors? I really don't care what they do." I said with a shrug. "Besides, they will get over it eventually when they realize that we are just friends."

He sighs, but drops it, taking my hand again.

When we get back to the house, Alice is hopping up and down outside waiting for us.

"Hey, Rose and Jazz are meeting us there, are you guys ready?" She said ambushing us as soon as the doors are open.

"Oh, um sure." I say, glancing at Edward who shrugs.

"Oh, and, I want to go to that party tonight! Bellaaa, you have to come with me." Alice pouts.

I had no intention of going to that party, but I was having a hard time saying no with that pout.

"Edward, will you come too?" I ask.

Alice turns the full force of her pout on Edward, and he sighs. "Sure, fine."

"Alright Alice, then I will go too." I say.

"Awesome! Then we are going to have to pick up dresses for tonight!" She says with a grin.

"Dresses? Alice, I am not wearing a dress."

"Why not? It doesn't have to be a short dress…"

"Because a high school house party is formal enough to wear a full length dress to." I say with a sigh.

"Oh… well we will find something!" She chirps.

Edward grins a little, seemingly taking amusement in my suffering.

Alice then grabs my hand and pulls me towards her canary yellow Porsche 911, Edward following close behind. We head to the mall to meet up with the others for the dreaded shopping trip.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Another lighter chapter. More dark ones coming up soon.

Please R&R! Thank you for reading!