Oh My God! You guys are the best! I got so many hits! And of course that great reviews from you all! It really made my day. I know I didn't update as soon as you would have liked but oh well. Many thanks to my beta!!!! MsLexiCullen!!!
Also there were a few concerns expressed in the reviews and I just wanted to clear those up. Some people were worried about Bella and the whole drug thing. The reason she's doing this is because she feels lost and just wants to get away from her life, and for her she thinks that the only way of doing that is through drugs. She's not a bad person that's going to become some druggy and she's not going to be all depressed and moppy. She's just going through a hard time and transition phase. Also don't worry she won't end up with Mike Newton, I think he has served his purpose, and she will end up with Edward, but it might be a bit of a bumpy road ahead! I hope you all stick around to see it unfold!
Ok you guys probably don't want to read this any more if you even still are. So without further ado…. The next chapter!!! Enjoy and review
I felt a little awkward as I rang the door bell. I didn't really know what to expect, I mean I had after all just met James. He lived in a kind of sketchy neighborhood, not like the million dollar mansions that the Cullens and Hales lived in. It was a simple decrepit little house; I wondered how James could afford to go to a place like our school. Maybe he was on scholarship? Somehow I seriously doubted it.
I had snuck out of my room without my Secret Service noticing by going through the little door on the side of my wall, it was meant to be an escape if ever needed, but at that moment it had served as an escape from reality.
I heard some footsteps approaching and I took one last deep breath. The door swung open and I was hit with a wave of sent, it smelled like a certain weed that was grown illegally. I looked up and was greeted with an angry looking man who was not James. I had a moment of panic before the man stormed out pushing past me as I heard James calling from behind him inside the house. He appeared a moment later looking just as angry as the first man. Maybe I shouldn't have come.
"Do you have any idea how much shit you just put me in?!" James yelled after him as he got in his car and sped off looking murderous. I stood there silent for a moment. How awkward, I thought to myself.
"Oh hey, Bella." James seemed to have just noticed me. He tried to cover his expression of rage with a lazy smile but I could still see the nerves behind his face.
"Is this a bad time? I could always come back." I sounded like a scared little school girl. He chuckled and shook his head.
"No it's fine, come in." He stepped aside and I walked in emursing myself into the weed hut. I was sure my clothes would be saturated; I would have to find new clothes before going home. James led me down into his basement, it was dark and smelly, and I loved every moment of it.
"So who was that?" I couldn't help but let the more curious side of me come out. James sat down on the sofa and I took a seat next to him.
"That was Laurent." He sounded tired and defeated. Oh so that was Laurent, I heard people talk about him but I had never actually connected the dots. I wondered why he was so angry, but I clamped my mouth shut making sure I didn't let myself ask. I didn't want to push James too far, he seemed really stressed.
"So, you ready to do this thing?" James asked pulling out a little baggy full of white powder. I hadn't seen one of those in a long time. "Have you ever done coke before?" he asked as he cut the lines. I fiddled with my hands but then stopped abruptly, I didn't want him to think I was nervous.
"Yah, a few times." I tried to sound nonchalant. He nodded. Once it was all set up he handed me the small straw and I stuck it up my nose as I leaned into take the first snort. I inhaled deeply and felt the sudden burn and rush as it entered my system. I handed the straw over to James and he took it, doing a line as well.
We continued a few times more until I was totally gone. I was so happy, I was so alive, everything that I didn't like didn't exsist in that moment. I was free, I was myself with all the bad pieces gone.
I laid back on the couch after one more line and just stared at the ceiling, it was so great.
"So why did you come here?" James asked, his voice sounded like it was coming from my hand so I looked at it, but James wasn't there, he was still sitting next to me. Weird.
"What?" I asked, I didn't understand what he meant.
"Why did you come here?" he asked again.
"Um... I thought it was obvious."
"Yeah I know but I mean, no one just randomly does lines, did something happen?" Man, he was so insightful, it was like he could see right through me.
"Yah, I had a bad day." I confessed, I felt really comfortable with him, and it wasn't just from the cocaine, he truly was someone I felt like I could trust. It's not like he was going to go gossip about me to Tanya or Irina.
"What made it a bad day? You met me." I laughed and once again I forgot where I was, all I could here was my laughter.
"Bella?" I snapped out of it. And turned to see James there looking at me.
"What?"
"Why was it a bad day?" he pressed.
"No reason, I'll tell you another day." He nodded and I fell asleep.
--
When I woke up I was on the floor. I wasn't sure how I had gotten there but I had. I had a weird taste in my mouth and I felt really stiff. Not good I thought. Where was James? I looked around but didn't see him. I pulled out my phone to check the time.
"Shit!" It was way past my curfew. There would be a search party if I wasn't home pront. Believe me, I wasn't joking. When the president's daughter goes missing, that is a big deal. I pulled myself up and groaned, I had a wicked bad headache. I reached into my pocket and realized that my keys where lost, great, so I can't get home. James was nowhere in sight so I couldn't ask him for ride, even if he was sober enough.
I weighed all my options, Alice would freak if she knew what I was doing here. I couldn't call Jasper cause he would tell Alice who would tell Rose. There was no way in hell I was calling my dad. The only person left was…
"Edward?"
"Yah?" he asked on the other end of the phone.
"Um I know this is kind of a big favor but…could you come pick me up?" There was silence for a while. I mentally begged him. Being in this run down shack alone was starting to get creeped out.
"Where are you?"
"Uh...." I thought really hard to the address James had given me. "13 Pine Road."
"Pine road? As in, all the way in west D.C.?" he asked sounding a little annoyed.
"Yah.... I think."
"What the heck are you doing all the way out there for?" he questioned. Was he mad?
"Please Edward! I'm scared and alone, please just come get me and then you never have to do anything for me again, you don't even have to-" I felt like I was on the verge of tears.
"Bella, Bella calm down are you alright, I'm on my way right now just stay calm." I could hear his engine roar to life. I took a few deep breathes. "Do you want me to stay on the line with you?" Dammit, lines, that was what got me into this mess. He asked sounding really concerned.
"No it's ok, just come here soon." I begged like a little girl. I thought I heard the accelerating of an engine but I wasn't sure.
"Ok, just wait outside for me, and keep your phone on you."
"Ok." I hung up the phone and made my way out of the house. It was dark out and no one was around, I was really freaked out now, and the traces of coke still in my system was not helping. I went and sat out on the curb, the street lights illuminating small parts of the street. I put my head in my hands. I was such a mess, I needed to pull it together, I could not let myself get like I did at my old school. What would Jake think?
Why had James just left? Why hadn't he woken me up? Was he okay? My head was starting to hurt again as I thought of all these questions.
I heard the sound of tires squeeking and I jumped a mile in the air, but I relaxed as soon as I saw the sound belonged to a silver Volvo. I scrambled to my feet and jumped into the front seat. Edward turned to look at me as I closed the door. He looked angry and concerned, it was a strange mix for a person who was normally so cocky and full of himself. He didn't drive.
"Hi." I said shyly.
"Bella," He let my name hang in the silence for a minute, I could hardly look him in the eye. "What were you doing there?" he asked in a deadly silent tone.
"Nothing, just go." I tried to look straight ahead, but he grabbed my hand.
"Bella, look at me." I did, his eyes scared me, he looked tortured, what was wrong with him? "Why do you have white powder near your nose?" he asked leaning in.
"What? Nothing." I wiped at my nose, but he caught my other hand.
"Is that what I think it is?" he sounded furious.
"Who are you my dad? What do you care what I do, now can we please just go?" I was getting mad and scared.
"Bell I just drove out at almost two in the morning to come get you in the middle of nowhere, I have no idea why,you just sounded so scared. I come to get you and I see you looking like death just sitting on the side walk in a bad neighborhood. I think the least you can do is give me an explanation." I stayed silent for a while, he exhaled slowly. "Please?"
"Fine," I exploded " I was here to meet James, we did a few lines and then I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember, I'm alone and can't find my keys, you were the only person I thought of who could help okay?" Wow that sounded messed up, he probably thinks I'm a freak now, good job! I thought in my head.
He looked at me with a blank expression. "I don't think you should see James again." He said simply then started the car. I scoffed.
"You can't just tell me who I can and can't see."
"Your right I can't, but I can tell you that he's bad news and I don't ever want to get a call like this again. I was so freaked out when I heard your voice on the phone telling me you needed help." I opened my mouth but them closed it. What was I supposed to say to that, he seemed to really care about me. That made my heart flutter. Was he like to this to all his friends that were girls, or was I special? I hoped I was special to him. We drove in silence for a while.
EPOV:
I had been really freaked out when Bella had called me in a shaky voice asking me to come pick her up from that awful neighborhood. I had run to my car and raced over there as fast as I could. I didn't know why I was acting this way, I had never been this protective of Tanya. In fact I had cared less about what she did and where she went and with whom. But for some reason I felt drawn to Bella, like I couldn't let her get hurt and I was the only one that could protect her.
When I had pulled up to the curb, I had cringed. She looked like hell, her skin was even chalkier then before, she had big circles under her eye and there was a slight tremble to her petite frame. I had almost lost it when she told me she had been doing coke, but I reigned it in and went numb. I would just have to work hard to never let her do that again, even if it meant being with her 24/7.
Why had I become so attached to her, we had only been friends for less than a day, but if I was being truthful here I had felt attached to her the second we met.
"Are you going to be okay?" I asked her as we neared her house. She looked at me for the first time since we had first gotten in, I could see that there were a few dried tears on her cheeks.
"Yeah I think so." I pulled up in front of the White House, I had a special pass since I was the Vice President's son, so I didn't have to go through security. She hopped out of my car but paused before closing it.
"I'm sorry you had to come all the way out there to get me at 2 in the morning." She apologized.
"Its okay, what are friends for?" When I called her a friend, a strange sensation zipped through me, but I shook it off. "Oh, and Bella, don't be afraid to call me if you ever get in a situation like that again.." She nodded. I didn't want her to think that I would get mad at her, or that it was a hassle if she needed me again.
I sped off towards home, if James did anything like that again I was going to have a little chat with him.
--
"Hey guys." I greeted everyone at the lunch table, I saw Bella talking with Alice, she looked a lot better than last night.
"Hey man." Jasper gave me a fist punch and Emmett gave me a hello with his mouth full of sandwich. Gross.
"Chloe sick today?" I asked Connor. He shook his head.
"I have no idea, she won't answer any of my calls and I haven't seen her since Jenny's party." That was weird.
"Don't worry man, she probably just got really sick and can't use the phone." Tyler tried to reassure him, but Emmett, Jasper, and I gave each other knowing looks. She was probably avoiding him and then going to break up with him. That's what she had done to her last boyfriend.
Through the whole lunch I tried to talk to Bella, now that we were friends we could do that. But Alice hogged her the whole time, and Bella wasn't trying to escape her clutches all that much anyway.
RRRIIINNGGGGGGG!!!
I hated that bell, why did it have to be so god damn loud.
"Hey let's walk together." I said grabbing Bella's arm. She nodded but stayed silent.
"So did anyone catch you?" I asked as we made it to our desk.
"Yah, one of the house cleaners.... but I don't think she said anything to my dad."
"Oh." We took our seats. I turned to her to ask her a question when I noticed Newton making his way over to us, well Bella.
"Hey Bella." He greeted her, she turned and a made a face.
"Oh hey Mike." She tried turning back to me but he caught her attention.
"So how was the luncheon?" Bella opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off, "Sorry I couldn't come see you, but my dad made me sit at his table. I know we could have had a good time if we had been at the same table. I'll try to organize it that way next time. Hey, you know, we should really go out again sometime jenny's party was great." Man he would not shut up.
"Mike!" Bella finally interrupted him.
"Yeah?" he gave her a smile that I suppose was supposed to be attractive but made him look more like a bad car salesman.
"I don't think we should see each other again, I think it would be better if we were just friends, you know?" he looked so disappointed.
"Oh yeah, sure." He mopped off back to his table but not before shooting me a nasty look. What was that for?
It was silent for a minute before Mr. Banner came in and started the lesson. I got out a piece of scrap paper and scribbled down a note and then passed it to Bella.
E: Hey now that we're friends we should hang out some time.
B: Um.... yeah sure, when?
E: Today after school?
She nodded, and I did a mental little happy dance. I was happy for the rest of class just trying to plan what we would do when all of a sudden I stopped in my tracks. Wait, was this a date? No! Of course not, we were just friends. Then why did it sound so much like a date? Did I want it to be? Did I like Bella Swan? Great, now I'm confused, I hated to not be in complete control!
When the bell rang I sprinted out of my seat and decided to skip next period and just go sit in my car. Okay Edward, this is just a friend thing, you hang out with Jasper and Emmett all the time and you aren't going out with them or have crushes on them. Yah, I could do this, we were just friends, nothing more. But why? Why couldn't I like Bella? I said I didn't like prudes, that was my big excuse, she obviously wasn't as innocent as I had thought, not after last night. Even I had never done that before.
Maybe it was okay to like her, did she like me? Who wouldn't? I'm what all the girls want, right? Okay I have decided: I like Bella Swan as more than a friend.
BPOV:
I didn't really want to go to gym today so I just made my way to the library. Luckily no one asked if I was supposed to be there so I just found a comfortable spot among the stacks. I grabbed a book off the shelf and started reading, I didn't even know what it was about.
"Man, we just keep meeting like this!" I jumped at the voice, but this time I knew who it was.
"What are you doing here, James? I didn't know you knew what I library was." I knew I sounded mad, but what did he expect, he had just left me in his house alone at two in the morning without an explanation.
"Hey what's wrong?" he asked. I looked up at him for the first time, he looked like hell.
"What's wrong? You just bailed on me last night with no explanation. What was that?" he sat down next to me and ran a hand through his shaky fingers.
"Yeah sorry about that." I snorted. "It's just I had to take care of business, I didn't think it would take that long, I thought I would be back before you woke up." I rolled my eyes.
"What business?" I asked, still a little irritated.
"I... I can't tell you." He sounded really tortured.
"Why not? I think I deserve to know!"
"Listen, I can't tell you right now. Okay? I can't get you involved." He almost shouted. I was a little stunned. Where did all this emotion come from?
"Okay." I mumbled. It was silent for a minute. Suddenly he got up.
"Hey are we still cool?" He asked. I thought for a minute.
"Yeah."
"Good." He started to walk away.
"Where are you going?" I asked him. He turned and smiled at me.
"Want to come?" He held up a little plastic baggy full of weed. I did need a distraction. I followed him out to the back of the school, he informed me that no one ever went there.
He lit up a joint and then passed it to me, after taking a long drag. I watched him as he let out a long stream of smoke from his tight lips. We just sat there and talked and smoked as we waited for the day to come to an end.
"So your best friend died in a car crash?" he asked after I had told him about Jacob.
"He was really drunk, I could have stopped him. I wasn't drunk."
"I don't think you could have."
"What do you mean? I could have stopped him if I had tried!" How did he know, he wasn't there!
"What I mean is that you shouldn't bring this on yourself, it's over and what happened happened. I'm sure that Jacob would have wanted you to move on, he sounded pretty cool." I relaxed, James was so great, he knew just what to say in his weird, twisted way.
"So is that why you left?" He asked putting out his joint.
"No."
"Then why?"
"It's complicated."
"So." He said. I sighed, what did I care, I was so high.
"Well I did some stuff and then something bad happened and someone had proof and threatened me. They blackmailed me into leaving." Wow, that just came out.
"What stuff did you do? What happened?"
"I.... well, I got into really hard core drugs and-" I swallowed, I couldn't believe I was about to tell someone, but I needed to get it out and if I was going to tell anyone it was going to be James. "And one day when I was shooting up, something went wrong. One of the people I was with took to much and well they.... they OD, and then someone who I thought was my friend had taped it and she threatened to tell the police, I couldn't let that happen, for my dad." I started to panic a little as the memories starting flooding back. It all happened so quick. "I just freaked and left the body, I didn't know what to do, so I just ran away to here, well that and cause my dad was elected, but it couldn't have come at a better time." I was breathing heavy as I finished my story.
James had stayed silent through the whole thing. I realized I was crying when I felt a tear fall.
"Wow, that's intense." He said with a smile.
"Why are you smiling?" I asked with a small laugh, he was so high.
" Cuz I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me."
"What do you mean?"
"There's something I need to tell you." His smile slipped off his face.
"What?" He looked me in the eyes and took my hand, they were shaking so bad. He started to look around, panicked. He dropped one of my hands from his and used it to run it through his hair. "What James?" I asked.
"I don't know if I can tell you."
"James, I just told you my story, I won't tell I swear." That was the truth, I wouldn't tell.
"It's just, I did something really bad." He was fumbling on his words.
"Just let it all out." I had just confessed and I felt so much better.
"I well I-"
"Bella?!" I jumped at the sound of Edward's voice.
"Edward?"
"Bella, what are you doing?" I scrambled to my feet. Shit I was high, I forgot.
"I'm … I was just talking with James."
He took a step closer to me and James got up too. "Whoa, man, it's cool, just chill." James said in his baked voice.
"Don't tell me to chill. Wait are you high?" He turned to me and looked straight into my eyes. He took a deep breath smelling the air around him. "You are high."
"So, you've never been high?" I asked getting angry. He was harshing my mellow.
"That is besides the point." He looked mad.
"No it's not! I'm not your little sister, you can't tell me what to do!" I yelled at him with an accusing finger pointed at his chest.
"I know but I just don't want you getting onto trouble." He said in calm voice.
"Are you saying I'm trouble?" James asked, he actually looked kind of happy about that.
"Yah that's exactly what I'm saying." Edward was getting in James's face. James shoved Edward.
"DON'T!" I cried out, I didn't want a fight to break out over me. But it was too late Edward shoved back and that had set James off. They were engaged in a full fledged fight.
"STOP!" I screamed they were both on the ground punching each other. "STOP IT! DON'T DO THIS!"
"What the hell!" Emmett and Jasper had just appeared out of know where.
"Help! Stop them!" I yelled at them. Emmett lunged for them and grabbed Edward. Jasper went for James. They used all their strength to pull them apart. Emmett dragged Edward away and Jasper led James back around the building. I was so freaked out and the weed wasn't helping anything. I didn't know whom to go comfort.
"Hey Bella you okay?" Emmett asked, he was panting.
"Where's Edward?" I asked panicked.
"In the car."
"Is he okay?"
"Yeah I think so, looks like he's going to have a pretty bad black eye though, and his lip is busted pretty bad." I made a weird sound that resembled that of a dying animal.
"You should go see him, he's pretty upset and I think he wants to talk to you." I nodded.
"Yeah but what about James?" I asked.
"He left." Jasper said from behind me.
"Where did he go?" I was confused.
"He just got on his bike and sped off, said to tell you that he would talk to you later." I sighed..
I started to make my way over to Edward's car when I noticed that they were following me. "Do you think I could talk to Edward alone?" They looked at each other and then me with a growing smile.
"Sure thing."
"Thanks." I jogged over to his car and got in the back seat where he was sitting with his arms crossed and sulking. He looked really bad and I instinctively went to caress his face.
"Are you okay?" I asked checking him over, he closed his eyes and relaxed.
"I am now." I studied him for a while, he was so gorgeous, but he had made it clear he just wanted to be friends. Once I made sure that he was okay, I pulled away from him, his eyes flew open. "What?" he asked me.
"What? You just got in a fight, that's what."
"But Bella-"
"No! THAT WAS A STUPID THING TO DO!"
"HE WAS GETTING IN MY WAY!" he shouted back that only fueled the fire.
"GETTING IN THE WAY OF WHAT?!" I yelled back. "YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT WAY WORSE!"
"I DON'T LIKE IT WHEN HE HANGS AROUND YOU!"
"WELL TOo BAD, THAT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM!"
"WELL I WANT IT TO BE." I opened my mouth to shout back but then closed it.
"What?" I asked confused, but so in love with what he was saying.
"I-I want you to be my problem."
"Oh, so I'm a problem? Like a charity case?"
"No, that's not what I mean." He said with pained, annoyed look on his face. Gosh, he had to be so damn cute but so damn aggravating.
"Whatever." I got out of the car and slammed the door. I was too tired to fight.
--
The next morning I woke up to a loud banging on my door.
"What?" I groaned.
"This is what!" Wait, was that my dad?
"Daddy?" I sat up and opened my eyes "What are you doing here?" I was happy to see him but when I looked up at him I noticed that he didn't look happy to see me, in fact he looked very unhappy. I looked down to see what he had thrown on my bed. It was a tabloid.
I read the front cover and gasped.
The Presidents little girl smoking with the wrong crowd? Where is President Swan? And how is Edward Cullen involved?
Bellow that was a picture of me and James smoking weed, then one of Edward and James fighting, and me standing next to them begging them to stop. You could tell that whoever had taken this picture had zoomed in, they had probably been behind some bushes.
"Daddy I-"
"Save it."
Oh man this was going to be all over school today. What had I gotten myself into?
---
Okay that was my next chapter, let me know what you think!!! R&R!!! oh and I told one of my reads that R&R satnded for right and review, I have no idea why I said that but I did. It really means read and review, sorry I had one of my out of it moments hehe!
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