So…um I love reviews. You know that already. Haha Someone proposed to me on per review. So, even though I don't believe in marriage, book Bella style (secretly I do), I want to tell that person that yes. I will marry you, but we have to get to 400 reviews haha. I know I'm a "B" word.

Enough silly and on with the serious.

The next two chapters contain strong and I do mean "strong" violence. I would ask you to turn away if you can't handle this kind of stuff, but its important to the story as these next two chapters are the final turning point…well there will be other turning points, but these two are the real start. It will be the relief to some of you who have been begging to know what the heck happened to Bella when she was 13 and I will answer your questions. I promise.

Yes, more angst after fluff, but this is an angst story. This ain't no Disney channel. But something good can come out of something bad. In example, Bella came from her damn parents.

Warning: Strong language and violence in this chapter.

Chapter 15/Bella/ The Book Club

Edward Cullen was my friend.

He said he was.

I didn't know how to take that or what to think of it.

The question had come out of my mouth in an impulsive move. I asked him if we were friends. I mean, how pathetic am I? It was just that we had spent so much time together and what had been going on between us had to be something. I hoped it was not just some weird bond we formed because we both had been there for each other when were in moments of complete fuckery. He couldn't just stick around because I fixed him up or because he felt bad for my shithole of a life.

I hope he doesn't.

There had to be another motive behind it all. I wanted there to be. I didn't want Edward's pity or for him to think he had some kind of responsibility to protect me from the demons that I lived with because he had seen some of it the shit I went through. That would mean that I had lost at life and I was too prideful and scared to admit that I needed help. Help meant I couldn't make it on my own which meant I was a failure and happiness and life were things that weren't meant for me and I refused to believe that. I hated to believe that.

I just needed someone.

No, not like that.

I just needed someone to show me that my friendship was worth something, because then that would mean that I was still Bella. I was still that girl with dreams and ambitions that could make someone smile or give someone joy. His friendship meant I was not just some broken girl with no chances in hell to survive or to have life. His friendship meant I was still alive.

I was not another shit lifetime movie.

I was not going to be that girl. I refused to be that girl, that girl that loses and everybody feels bad for.

By giving me his friendship, without realizing it, Edward had given me something to push me forward. It probably didn't mean too much to him, but it meant the world to me. I needed Edward.

I trusted him.

I decided it.

After all, I had nothing to lose.

Right?

Edward held my hand as we walked by to my house. I said he held mine because once I had started walking, Edward quickly caught up to me and took my small hand in his larger, manlier hand without asking. I didn't mind, but my insecurities wondered why he did. Holding hands had become a "normal" thing for us, but looking at Edward's perfect jaw line and his amazing green eyes and his messy, but beautiful hair, I immediately remembered it was my hand that he holding. I would then feel unworthy of his hand and if he wasn't holding my hand so tightly I would have pulled it away.

I'm ridiculous. I know.

Friends hug each other, right? I mean, Jacob and me would do it all the time. How about friends like me and Edward? Is it normal?

I really didn't care when Edward asked me to hug him and though a million questions came up to my mind, all I could do was wrap my arms around his body. I inhaled his smell and felt the softness of his shirt against my cheek. His body pushed my glasses into my face and it was sort of painful, but I ignored it. Pain had no power over the good this made me feel. This felt good. Hugging Edward felt very good.

My traitorous body let out a broken sigh and I wondered if he noticed. He gently pulled himself away a little while still holding me. I was worried that he had heard me and would tease me, but instead Edward smiled down at me and I could feel all the blood rushing to my cheeks. I was ridiculous beyond belief.

He pulled me in for another hug and held me even tighter. I didn't understand his sudden need to hold me tight, but I went along with it mainly because he was too strong for me to pull away and he seemed to need it.

He placed his lips to my ear and it caused chills to run up my body.

"Just promise me you'll keep yourself safe Bella. And if anything happens, text or call me. Please. Please promise me. Please." His pleading voice and desperation caught me off guard. I wondered if I had caused this in him and immediately felt guilty. He was worried and he didn't deserve it. This was my world, not his. I was really fucking it up for him.

"I promise." I whispered as my voice didn't let me assure him further. I was so damn weak and scared. I was scared that I would need to find him and on top of that, I was drowning in guilt.

Later that day, my mother called to let me know she would get home late. She was out with Phil again. I asked where she was and she just laughed, ignoring my question, saying she was having fun. That didn't answer my question, but we were running out of food and I was worried for her.

Doesn't she worry for me?

She didn't even let me ask her anything else or say goodbye and ended the call. I wanted to throw the phone across the house, but I quickly remembered that Father wouldn't be too pleased about that. My mother wouldn't care.

Is it normal to have so much anger bottled up for the person that gave birth to you?

It's not.

I hate myself for it.

I dug around the fridge, hoping to find something that didn't involve me defrosting or using the microwave, but all I did find was a damn Hot Pocket. I ate my Hot Pocket with a glass of pretty old orange juice in the kitchen.

I wish I had money. I wish I could buy me some actual food. I do too much wishing and not enough action.

I burnt my tongue, because that's the usual when eating a damn Hot Pocket and decided that tap water would be better than old orange juice. The house was silent and I was alone. Though I was use to it, after spending so much time with Edward, loneliness was starting to ache in the corners of my chest. I stared at the last piece of my Hot Pocket and listened to the noises the old house made by itself.

I wondered what Edward was doing which led me to wonder about what he had said to me about our friendship. He said I helped him and that is why he would help me. I hoped he wasn't my friend, because he felt he owed me. I didn't want him to owe me anything. I tortured myself for minutes, until I decided that just sitting in the lonely kitchen was going to drive me crazy.

More than I already am.

I cleaned my mess up and I was about to go up to my room so I could draw, when I heard and felt a vehicle drive up to my house. I froze on the first step and held my breath instinctively. I turned around to see the headlights of a vehicle through the living room window and since it was dark outside, I couldn't see who it was. My hands began to tremble and the ache in my stomach reminded me that I could be in danger.

This is ridiculous; I should be use to it by now.

The vehicle's engine shut off and hurried footsteps reached the door. The person on the outside had a key and of course there were only two people besides me that had keys to this house. I only feared one of them.

The person struggled to get the door unlocked and I wished that I could move my frozen body, but the fear and panic disabled me. I stared as the door knob shook and the keys jingled. My heart beat was in my throat and I had forgotten how to breathe. I could feel the need for oxygen in my aching and burning lungs. I could hear a scratching noise and it wasn't until I felt pain in my finger tips that I realize it was me digging my nails into the wood of the staircase's rail.

Finally, the door swung open and I found my worried and distraught mother holding onto her bag for dear life. She walked in and shut the door behind her and walked up to me. I would have taken a breath of relief that it was just mom, but the red in my mother's eyes and the mess that was her hair, only made it worse. She was shaking and her breathing was heavy. I was still on the first step so I was now a little taller than her. She took my hands in her shaky hands and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Bella baby," she looked around and then back at me. "Bella baby, I want you to go up to your room and lock the door. If you hear…"

"Mom, what's wrong? What's going on?" I whispered afraid that I would be heard by whatever she was trying to hide me from. Her eyes were wide in panic and her hands shook with mine in them.

"Baby, just do what I say." She said and pushed me back causing me to take a few steps up the stairs. She stood on the first step while still holding my hands in hers. "Just go to your room and don't come out, until I say its okay. If you hear anything, ignore it. Don't try to anything stupid." She said and I turned around to go to my room.

I slowly walked up the rest of the steps, unsure of what was going on. I felt like a coward. I should face whatever it was that my mother was going to face. I should be there with her.

I made it to my room and locked it like my mother had ordered. I paced around my room, waiting for hell to start. I was so tense and nervous, that my body ached at how hard I was shaking.

Was Father coming back?

I could feel the Hot Pocket threatening to come up. I held my stomach and took deep breaths to calm myself down. I sat at the edge of my bed unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, another vehicle drove up to the house. I bolted to my balcony door so I could see.

It was Him.

He looked tired and his clothes were a wrinkled mess, but worst of all he looked drunk. He walked into the house with a beer bottle in one hand a rage in his face that I knew would follow him in. I sat back down with my heart in my throat and my breathing gone.

It was silent for a moment.

Too silent.

Suddenly I heard the door fly open, hitting the wall.

"Renee!" His voice was muffled since I was upstairs, but I could still feel and hear the rage in his voice. I could still feel the heat of his anger. "Renee! You fucking bitch!" he yelled and I started rocking back and forth while holding my stomach.

His heavy footsteps wandered around the floor. I heard another door fly open.

"You fucking whore!" he yelled followed by the screaming of my mother. I ran to my door and placed my ear against the door. "The fucking book club? You're fucking that motherfucker, aren't you? I swear on my fucked up mother's grave Renee, you're going to feel every ounce of regret on your fucking face if you don't start talking!" he barked and all I could hear from my mother was her sobbing.

I wanted to do something. I had to save mom.

That's what you tried to do last time. Remember? How did that end up?

I ignored my inner voice. It was just trying to warn me, but Renee was my mother. I couldn't just sit in this damn room while He kills her!

And if anything happens, text or call me.

Edward's velvety voice came to me as a gift sent by god.

I ran to my nightstand and grabbed my phone.

He taught me how to use it, but I had never tried to actually use it.

I turned it on, finding a message on the screen.

One Text Message

I clicked the Read button and found a message from Edward.

Hey new friend

This would have made me excited or even jump up from the joy, but there was no time for that. I pushed the Reply button and in that moment heard another scream from my mother.

"So having dinner with the book club? Why was that piece of shit the only one there, Renee?"

I turned back to my phone and when the blank screen came up, I began typing my message. I wanted to ask him to help me and for him to get help. All I got to type was He's back. Please Help when I heard a loud thud hit the floor.

I pressed the send button and I didn't wait to get my confirmation message and ran to my door, forgetting my phone on the nightstand. I unlocked my door and ran to the top of the stairs. I took a few steps down and found my mother on the floor with Father with of his knees on her stomach. One of his large hands was on her face, pushing her head into the wooden floor.

"You aren't fucking talking, Renee! I need you to talk. I want you to dare yourself. I want you to defend yourself or make up some bullshit up. Are you fucking that piece of fuck?" He spat into her face and the artery in his neck popped out. Mom whimpered and begged him to leave her alone, but her pleading was ignored by Father. "You aren't going anywhere, you fucking whore! I work all fucking week and bring food to the fucking table while you fuck that piece of shit! You fucking whore!" He yelled making me jump. My body had not moved another inch since finding my parents, but now I could feel the fear aching in my bones.

He took my mother by the neck and began strangling her and slammed her head into the floor. Mother was still whimpering and pleading, but wasn't fighting back.

It pissed me off.

I ran to Father and jumped on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He groaned and stood up with me on his back.

"Get off her! Leave her alone!" I shouted while he struggled to find his balance while I was on his back. He tried moving my arms off his neck, but my adrenalin gave me unthinkable strength. I was so small compared to him and I knew I wasn't going to win, but at least I would give him a fight this time.

Father finally found his balance on his feet and swung me around his back.

"Get off me you bitch!" he yelled, but I was not giving in. He grabbed my hair with one hand and swung me around again and this time, I lost my grip on his neck. I felt my body slip of his and with a hard thud fell on the floor. I fell, stomach first into the hard wooden floor and my glasses flew off my face.

I rolled around the floor, winded, I gasped for air, but it was no use. I couldn't see anything. Not only was it dark, but I had lost my glasses. I tried to drag myself to them, when I found them, but I couldn't breathe and my body ached. I gasped harder while dragging myself to my glasses and fought to get to them, but suddenly heavy foot steps walked closer to me. He crashed my glasses with his boots and grabbed me by my hair. He dragged me across the floor until he felt that I had enough and let drop. I grunted, but didn't have enough time to bask in the pain as he grabbed me by the hair again.

"Apparently, you never learned your fucking lesson!" he screamed into my face and I could smell the beer in his breath. "Say you're a retard! Say it!" he slapped my right upper arm and I winced, he wasn't holding back. "Say it Isabella. Say it!" He slapped my arm again, a little harder and I whimpered. His hand stung and sent vibrations of pain through the length of my entire arm and mind. The other side of my body was numbed by the fear and by the pain my right side was experiencing. He slapped my arm a few more times and something in me wanted to ask him to at least hit my left arm and that I needed my right arm to draw. But I wouldn't have such luxury.

When he realized I still, wasn't going to "say it", he took me by my neck and pulled me up to my feet, with one hand in my hair. I screamed in pain, but that didn't faze him. I tried pulling away, but he was too strong.

His eyes were full of hate and rage. Sweat ran down his face and I was disgusted by him. I hated him. I hated him with all the fury from hell. I hated my own father. I was ashamed of that, but right now if I had the power and strength, I would kill him.

I would kill him.

I turned to look at my mom to see if she was okay.

She was.

She was sitting with her legs crossed while just staring at me, with no emotion in her face. No worry.

No worry at all.

Mom, please help me.

I don't know if I really said it. I was too overwhelmed by the pain in my body and the disbelief at my mother. My mind was clouded with desperation and panic. I don't know if I begged her for help. I did when I was thirteen, I said it a hundred times, but she never moved. She never budged or tried.

She never tried.

She never tried to save me.

I hated her.

"Maybe, next time…" Father said gripping my neck tightly. I was still looking at my mother. She was still motionless. She still didn't move. "Maybe next time, Isabella. You'll learn to mind your own fucking business you little bitch."

I knew what was coming.

I could already feel it.

But my soul held hope. A little hope.

"Mom!" I cried, but she looked down in shame. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks and his breathing in my face. Mom's white flag and lack of fight for me, her own daughter, hurt more than what Father was surely to do to me. Because of that, I welcomed it in.

"Look at me!" he shouted and I did what I was told.

He took his right hand off my neck, but pulled it high into the air. His hand formed a fist and my heart stopped.

I knew it was coming.

I didn't flinch or try to move away.

I stared at his hairy fist and waited for it.

I took it.

I took it. I swear I did.

The last thing I remembered was falling on the floor again while my mother's screeching screams filled the house and my mind.

Then the darkness took me and embraced me into its familiar cold and hard arms.

Where are you Edward?

I know, another cliffy, but I have to keep you interested. Besides, what happens next is longer and has to be in EPOV or you'll never know why the story takes the turn its going to take.

And I need reviews to feed my ego. Someone sent me a personal message saying I deserved thousands of reviews. Well, that person fed my ego and I'm asking you to review like crazy. Even you that just lurk. Yeah You! I know who you are, because I do the same with other stories bahaha.

Again, thank you so much crazyj9girl for the cool banner.

If you haven't seen it, go to my profile and click on the first banner link. Maybe you can leave a comment for her, saying how fuckawsome her (well mine now) banner is. I have to feed her ego to!

P.S Please check out The Twinklings, edwardrocksmysocks recommended my story on their website which is pretty cool. I've never been recommended for anything in my life. Maybe the rest of you can whore me around! Please! You can find more info on Twinklings by going to edwardrocksmysocks' profile.

Until next time!