I own nothing Twilight.

Chapter 5- A Mess To Be Made

Friday comes so fast, I'm not sure if the rest of the week even actually happened. The only evidence I have are fresh marks on my shoulder and back. These ones are courtesy of Tanya, although she would never know it.

Wednesday afternoon proved to be a rare day in Forks. The sun had come out and decided to stay, warming up the air enough for jackets to be removed, for short sleeves to make one last appearance. It was days like that when everyone would linger longer in the parking lot, Jacob being no exception. He had arrived to pick me up at 2:45 on the dot, this time stepping out of his car.

I stood up from my spot by the willow tree, and walked towards him. I could feel the eyes of all the girls on him. Jacob was good-looking, there was no doubt about it. His dark looks gave him an exotic appeal that the female population of Forks High lusted after. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the Rabbit, a black t-shirt revealing his muscular limbs. By the time I reached him, a small group of my friends had also made their way over.

"Jake, we've missed you, where have you been?" Tanya whined, her sweater had been removed revealing a tight white tank top that I'm sure did not go unnoticed by the boys, Jacob included.

"Bella got you on a short leash?" Mike laughed, punching my arm in a playful manner.

Jacob laughed and I remembered how much he got along with everyone, how easy it all was for him. He didn't have to win people over, they were just naturally attracted to him. You wanted to be around him, he drew you in like he was his own personal sun.

"Well, you know how it is," he winked at me. "She can barely keep her hands off me."

"Yeah, you wish," I winked back at him.

"What are you guys doing?" Angela asked, her arm lovingly wrapped around Ben's waist. "We're all going to the diner, you should join."

I looked up at him, unsure of how to answer. We didn't normally hang out with my friends, choosing to stay closer to the Reservation and do stuff with his friends. It wasn't that he didn't like them, but with my friends, there was always the risk that they'd say something, unknowingly, that would piss Jacob off.

"We could do that," he answered. "That cool with you Bells?"

I nodded, actually pleased at the thought that we'd get to spend time doing something new as opposed to the same old routine.

"Maybe Bella will want to invite Edward?" Tanya said suddenly, a smirk played on her lips.

And all at once, it felt like the air had been knocked out of me. I didn't dare look up at Jacob, instead choosing to roll my eyes.

"Edward?" He asked.

Tanya pointed in the direction of the Volvo, currently sitting unoccupied on the other side of the lot.

"Just some new kid," I brushed off, hoping to end the conversation.

"Oh come on, Bella," Tanya continued on. "We all saw the way you were staring at him in the cafeteria. You were practically undressing him with your eyes."

Everyone laughed. Everyone but myself. And Jacob.

"What?" I bit back.

I had been staring at Edward. Not just today, but all week. Wondering if he was going to approach me, ask me why I had been lurking in the shadows of his house. If he had told his sister. Most importantly though, if he was going to give me back my pair of shoes. Those were my favorite.

"I think I even saw a little drool," Jessica chimed in.

I could feel my chest begin to tighten, the panic setting in.

"Bella?" Jacob said, looking at me intently.

No one else could see it, the subtle shift in his mood. The way his eyes went from brown to black, the pupils dilating. The way his fist clenched up, the way that vein was throbbing in his neck. These were the warning signs that only I could see.

"They're just joking with you, Jacob," I tried to sound light and airy, but even I could hear the pleading in my voice.

"There's loverboy now!" Tanya giggled, pointing towards the stairs where, indeed, the three Cullens were making their way down.

They were all in deep in conversation, not realizing that they were the subject of criticism only a couple hundred feet away.

"Which one?" Jacob had asked.

"The guy with the lighter hair, that weird shade. Kind of looks like an old penny," Mike said, his eyes on Edward.

I felt Jacob's hand on my own, the grip so tight I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. Surely the bones were being crushed into a fine powder, rendering my hand useless.

"Alright, I'm starving," Angela broke the tension. "Lets go before I chew off my own arm."

"We'll see you guys there," Jacob replied, opening my car door for me.

I wondered for a second if we were fine, if maybe he was brushing the whole thing off to my friends being jerks who were just screwing around.

"Get in the car," he said under his breath.

Nope.

Before I got in, I stole one last look over at the Cullens. Alice was talking animatedly, her hands all over the place, a smile spread wide across her face. Emmett was just nodding, humoring her I'm sure.

Edward was looking directly back at me. His brow furrowed, he looked utterly confused. I kept his gaze for a few seconds longer before Jacob was yelling at me to get in the car, pulling my arm.

I knew, as I put on my seatbelt, that I had a few minutes more before the hurt would start. He wouldn't dare do anything in the school parking lot, there were too many curious eyes, too many witnesses. I looked into the side mirror and now I understood why Edward had been looking at me, so confused. My face was so pale, it looked like all of the blood had been drained from it. My eyes were wide, in a way that could only be described as pure terror. My chest was rising and falling so fast, I could barely keep up with it.

If anyone had been looking at me like I had him, I would be wondering "what the hell?" too.

The diner wasn't too far from school, but just before we made the turn onto the main road, Jacob pulled off into a side street. He had parked far enough down so that there were no houses, just woods and an empty lot. He cut the engine, the car suddenly void of music. He turned to me.

"Who is Edward?"

"No one."

"Then why did they say you were eye-fucking him in class?" His hands were still on the steering wheel, knuckles pulled so tight all I could see was white.

"He's just some kid, some new kid," I started, knowing it was too late for me.

The rage had already set in and there was no roping it back.

"Just some kid?" He asked, his gaze know straight ahead at the trees before us.

"Yes, Jacob, I swear," I said. "I've never even talked to the guy."

His fist came at me before I could say anymore. Hitting my shoulder, my arm so hard I thought I might pass out from the pain. I wrapped myself up into a little ball, trying to protect my head. That just made them come harder, faster.

"Do you want him? Is that what this is about?" He said, in between hits.

"No, I swear, I don't," I sobbed, anything to make the hurt stop. "Only you, Jacob. Only you."

I think maybe he's done when I feel no more, but just as I look up I see his first coming back. One last hit, one last reminder.

We sat in silence for what felt like eternity but was actually only ten minutes. I cried silently, wiping the tears away with my right hand, the one that didn't hurt to move.

"Clean yourself up," he said calmly. "You don't want your friends knowing what you did, do you?"

I shook my head, pulling my makeup bag out of my backpack. I applied a fresh coat and by the time I was done, you couldn't even tell I'd been crying.

He turned the car back on, turned the radio up and drove us to the diner.

Now I find myself driving down the long path that leads to the Cullen house, leaves of every color creating a thick blanket over the gravel trail.

Somehow Alice, who had become joined to my hip over the past week by her own doing, convinced me to come over to her house for the evening. I had tried to come up with every excuse possible to get out of it, but she had kept begging and begging. Maybe I sympathized with her loneliness, maybe her pleading had worn me down or maybe I just really wanted to see the inside of her house. I told myself it was the first two, but in reality, I really did just want to see what the Lake Mansion looked like.

Jacob was having some sort of tribe thing tonight, so if it wasn't hanging out with Alice, it would be sitting on my bed all night, re-reading another Jane Austen novel. Which was exactly what Jacob thought I was doing. If he knew I was anywhere near Edward Cullen outside of school, the consequences would be unimaginable.

I park my truck behind an Audi of some sort, another reminder of how much money I don't have. The truck was a present to myself on my 16th birthday. I had used money I'd been saving since I was eight, saving every single dollar my grandparents sent on holidays, birthdays. It was red, loud and looked like it might fall apart at any moment. I loved it. It's the first thing I've ever owned that is completely mine.

I gingerly walk towards the front door. The house is lit up like Times Square. I guess when you have that much money, energy bills aren't really a big concern. My dad yells at me if I leave a room without turning the light off.

Before I can even knock, the door is flung open and Alice throws her arms around me. I wince, hoping she doesn't hear the slight hiss of pain that escapes my lips. She is wearing a denim skirt and a black, short sleeved v-neck top. I want to remind her that this is Washington and it's almost the middle of October, but realize that's probably not the most polite way to begin a visit with someone who just invited you to their ginormous mansion.

"I'm so glad you're here!" she squeals.

I smile, not sure how to respond. I've never seen someone so happy to see me before. I follow her inside, taking a look around the foyer. I remember my mother saying something about Mrs. Cullen being an interior designer and it definitely shows. The entrance is painted a chocolate brown, with dark mahogany wood accenting it along the trim. A bench sits against the wall, orange and yellow pillows sit atop it. The room looks like autumn, I don't know how else to describe it.

"Come on, let me show you around," Alice pulls me along with her.

We walk into the main room, where the windows start at the floor and extend well above us. It's too low to see the dock from here, but I can see the lake in the distance, the trees just beyond it.

"It's beautiful," I say, staring out the window.

"I think it's a little much, but I guess it really wasn't up to me," Alice says, standing next to me.

I'm taken aback, wondering how a girl who wears such expensive clothes could be complaining about living in this magnificent home.

"I want to show you my room!" She turns to the stairs, and I follow behind her.

The house seems endless, level after level. Alice takes me to the third floor, down a long hallway until we stop at the first door on the left. She opens the door to reveal an exquisitely decorated bedroom. The walls are a plum color, the bedding a deep shade of green. Like downstairs, the furniture is all dark mahogany wood.

"Mom chose all dark colors," she says suddenly. "Something about how the windows let in enough light and contrast. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention."

She hops down on her bed and pats the space next to her for me to sit.

I sit, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. Alice is a nice girl, but we really don't know anything about each other. I could venture to guess that I'm not exactly the type of girl she would really want to hang out with in the first place: I'm not cheerful or smiley or happy. I'm stressed and cautious and worried.

She seems more like an Angela or Jessica type. I should introduce the three of them, so I can be free to go back to my safe, secure emptiness.

"Knock, knock," a lovely female voice says from outside the door.

A gorgeous woman emerges, her hair almost the same color as Edward's, but with golden honey tones. I want to ask if they're actually related, but it's probably not the best question to ask a woman you met five seconds ago.

"Mom, hey," Alice stands up. "This is Bella Swan, the girl I was telling you about."

"Bella, lovely to meet you," she says. "I'm Esme."

I think she's coming in for a handshake, but hugs me instead. I don't know where to put my hands, so I just let them hang limply at my sides.

"It's great to meet you, Mrs. Cullen. You're home is amazing."

"Esme, please. Call me Esme," she smiles, showing her perfect white teeth.

"Esme," I repeat.

"Unfortunately Carlisle isn't here tonight, he's on call," she says apologetically.

"Carlisle is my dad," Alice says, off my confused look.

"Oh," is all I say.

"I made you girls some snacks and set them up in the media room," even Esme's voice is perfect.

Snacks? Media room? The last time I stayed over at Jessica's house, her mom set out a $20 for pizza and her Blockbuster card while she went off to go drinking at some shithole bar in Port Angeles.

We all walk down to another level of the house and I'm so turned around, I couldn't tell you if we were even still in Forks. The house was big enough, I wouldn't have been the least surprised if we'd somehow wandered over to an entire other county.

Esme opens two French doors, to what they keep calling the media room. Stepping inside, I can clearly see why: the television is roughly four times the size of the one currently sitting in my family room. My father would think he died and went to heaven if he ever got to watch a Seahawks game on this thing. The chairs are like that of a movie theater, only more plush and comfortable looking. There's a popcorn machine off to one side, with a table next to it filled with every kind of junk food you could fathom.

The two of them just walk in like this is nothing. Like everyone has a fucking movie theater in their house. I don't want to seem like a total townie, so I decide not to mention my own 19 inch TV, with the metal coat hanger serving as an antennae that is on top of my dresser. For some reason, I don't think the fact that I get one channel, a public access one no less, will impress them too much.

"I'll let you girls be, just let me know if you need anything," Esme kisses Alice on the cheek. "I'll be up in the library."

Oh, the library. We have one of those too. It's what my dad calls the magazine rack that sits next to the toilet.

I laugh silently to myself, surprised that I'm doing so. I haven't been able to crack a joke in so long, it's weird to be doing it even if it is to no one but myself.

"What do you want to watch?" Alice asks, closing the doors behind her mother.

"Um, I don't know, what do you have?" I ask, walking over to the snack table.

"Lets see," she starts rummaging through a giant shelf filled with movies.

I look around the table, it all looks so good. I'm about to grab a handful of M&Ms when my phone vibrates in my pocket.

How's reading going? - J

My heart slams into my ribcage. I'd forgotten about Jacob. About my lie. Stupid. I was letting myself get distracted, letting my guard down.

Nothing too exciting. How's your night going? - B

"Ooo, have you seen this one?" Alice holds up a DVD from her spot by the shelf.

I don't recognize the cover, but the actress on it looks incredibly generic.

"I don't so," I say, looking back down at my phone.

Nothing exciting here either. Can I call you in a bit? - J

I can't risk talking to him on the phone here. What if he hears Alice in the background? Or, god forbid, Edward happens to make a random appearance?

I'm actually about to pass out, I'm exhausted. Long week. - B

Please buy that. Please buy that.

No problem. Sleep tight : ) - J

Night - B

I turn my phone to completely silent and put it back in my pocket, determined to focus my full attention on Alice. I don't want to seem rude after her and her mother have been so kind to me.

After Alice insists on changing into our pajamas, we plop down in the chairs to begin watching the movie. She's wearing shorts and a tank top. I'm wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt atop it. It's not particularly cool in the house, but I'm not about to bare any unnecessary skin. Not with Alice's curious eyes and knack for seeming to know things without me telling her.

We're about two-thirds of the way through Sweet Home Miss Congeniality when I hear the soft snore of Alice next to me. I look over to see her curled up into a little ball, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Alice?" I whisper.

No response.

I want to ask her where the kitchen is, so I can refill my water glass but don't want to wake her up. I decide it can't be too hard to find the kitchen in this place. Wrong. I somehow end up in what appears to be a game room, with a pool table and air hockey table in the center. Just beyond those is a set of doors leading outside to the dock.

I sneak a glance behind me. No one. I carefully make my way out the door, closing it softly behind me. The grass is dewy beneath my feet as I walk across it. The air is biting. Winter is already on our heels.

I make my way down the stairs and begin down the dock. I stop dead in my tracks when I see a figure up ahead, just a shadow with the lit end of a cigarette moving up and down.

"Do you ever wear shoes?" A voice asks.

Edward.

"I got lost," I respond.

Wow, really Bella?

There's silence and I step closer as he takes another hit off his cigarette.

"What do you want from Alice?" his voice is low, husky.

"What?"

I don't understand what he means, suddenly bringing Alice into the conversation.

"My sister," he says. "You want her to buy you stuff?"

I'm so offended by what he says that all I can manage is a weird snort sound.

"I've seen you and your friends, you're all kind of assholes," he continues.

I want to tell him he's the asshole, but again, probably not the most polite thing from a houseguest.

"I like Alice, she's really sweet," even I can tell how lame it sounds.

Who calls someone "sweet"? What am I? My 85 year old grandma?

He doesn't respond, but instead takes a long drag off the cigarette. He runs his free hand through his hair, causing it to become more disheveled, if that is possible. I can see why all of the girls at school call him sexy. And then he opens his mouth again:

"The last thing Alice needs is to be screwed around with by some stuck-up townie bitch who is just using her for her money," he throws the cigarette onto the ground, putting it out with his shoe.

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. My mind is racing, who does this guy think he is? Finally I am able to produce sound through my rage.

"Listen, Ed-ward," I over-emphasize his name. "You don't know one thing about me. So before you go calling me "some stuck-up townie bitch", maybe you should take a closer look at yourself, you judgmental dick."

The look on his face is priceless, complete shock that some five-foot three girl, too small for her own pajamas and weighing maybe 100lbs. sopping wet just called him a dick.

I turn on my heel, not wanting him to get in another word, and begin walking back towards the house. My palms are sweating, my breath heavy. I'm not scared, I'm not worried.

I'm pissed, for the first time in a really long time.

Please let me know what you guys are thinking, I'm wondering if I should continue or not. I don't really know if anyone is finding the story that interesting.