A/N: Okay, I'm really excited, because my advertised story for this week is also my favorite story on fanfiction currently: Your Guardian Angel by .Cucumber. It's really amazing, and I encourage you to check it out.

Five

Don't Hold Your Breath

BELLA

"BELLA!" Charlie shouted, stomping pointedly until he reached our table. "What do you think you're doing here?" He looked at Edward for a moment, but then his attention was back on me.

"Dad, we already closed up," I explained. "We were just coming out for dinner…"

"You've got exams to study for," he reminded me, annoyed. "And Mike, your boyfriend, has been calling you nonstop."

My eyes widened as I glanced at Edward, whose expression basically mirrored mine. "What did you tell him?" I asked frantically.

"I told him the truth, of course," he said, as if it were the obvious answer. "That you and Edward had disappeared from the pizzeria, apparently together. He told to tell you, when I found you, that he'll be waiting at his house."

"Waiting?" Edward asked, more to me than to Charlie.

"Yes, waiting," Charlie answered, tapping his foot impatiently. "As in Bella, you'd better get your butt over there right now, or you're grounded."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You're not legally allowed to ground me, Dad," I said. "I'm nineteen years old. But I wouldn't expect you to know that."

He looked bewildered, completely surprised that his baby girl, who had always been the perfect, obedient angel, would backtalk him that way. Apparently, however, after a few seconds of consideration, he figured out how to handle the situation.

"Isabella. Marie. Swan!" he spat, yanking me up by my elbow. "You get over to that boy's house right now, or all of your college funds will be withdrawn."

Even with the money I was making at the restaurant, I could not afford all of my expenses on my own. Besides, I wouldn't have put it past Charlie to make me work for little or no pay. "It's your duty," he'd say. "You owe it to us."

He shook me violently by the shoulders. "I'm going, Dad!" I surrendered, snatching up my purse and coat.

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EDWARD

It broke my heart straight in half to see the way Charlie treated Bella. He was almost no better than Mike! No wonder he always took his side over his own daughter's. I found myself wondering what had happened to Bella's family. Surely they hadn't always been this way.

"Edward?" Bella said, pulling me out of my own mind, fortunately. It was starting to get crowded in there!

"Yes?"

"Umm… I'm sorry to ask… but I kind of left my truck back at the shop, and…" she started. Why had we suddenly become so formal?

"Sure, Bella. I'll take you back," I offered, smiling stupidly. "But are you sure… you don't want me to just take you to Mike's and then… bring you back?" Please say yes. Please say yes!

"No," she said, shaking her head. Were those tears under her eyes? "I need to do this alone."

"Bella," I whispered, reaching out to touch her face gently. She jumped, and I immediately felt my other hand. It wasn't cold… "You don't have to do everything by yourself. Why do you feel like you always need to be so brave?"

She looked away, away from me, shrugging away from my touch. "Edward, this is my mess. My fault. I'm willing to pick up the pieces. Please don't try and stop me."

"I'm not trying to get you hurt, Bella," I said, a little louder, withdrawing my hand. "All I want is for you to be happy."

"Then don't hold your breath," she warned, closing the car door in my face.

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BELLA

The entire car ride was virtually silent, apart from the radio, which was barely on at all. Edward refused to make eye contact with me, and I didn't blame him. I'd been a jerk. I didn't expect him to understand my situation. In fact, I'm not so sure anyone could understand.

And the worst part of it all was that, finally, Edward had witnessed, front row, the relationship between my father and I. I do not know if Renee would have helped me, because she was always so quiet when Charlie was around. That probably meant that he was just as aggressive with him as he was with me.

I wondered why Renee had not left him yet, then, as we sped down the back roads to the shop. I wished that this unnatural, awkward car ride would last forever, but, as it always does when you're waiting for something terrible, time passed quickly by. Before I knew it, we were in the small, white-chalked parking lot once again. I stepped out of his cat silently, begrudgingly, not expecting a decent goodbye from him. Not that I deserved one, anyway.

"Bella?"

I looked back at him over my shoulder. "What?"

"You don't always have to do everything alone," he whispered. I nodded, tears beginning to flow from my eyes.

"I know, Edward," I said. "Thank you for taking me out tonight. I needed that."

He grinned, that sideways grin that always made me go weak at the knees. "No problem. I had fun."

The chaste salutation was more than I'd expected, and it made the car ride to Mike's a bit more bearable. I even kept a straight face when Mike opened the door, kissed me forcefully, and dragged me into the living room, all for show, of course. As soon as we were out of earshot of the neighbors, Mike went all out.

"Where were you, Bells?" he demanded, pushing my onto the white couch. "I called a thousand times."

"Charlie told me," I said, ignoring his initial question.

"Answer my question, Isabella," he ordered. I glanced down at the shag carpet he was standing on, stained and dreadfully dusty.

"With Edward," I muttered.

"Who?!" he shouted, placing his fingers under my chin to lift my eyes up to his.

"Edward," I repeated, this time audibly. "We were discussing sales, and… stuff…"

"Stuff?" he scoffed, sitting in the arm chair to the left of me. "I don't want you to see him again, Bella," he threatened, his voice menacing. I gulped.

"But… Mike… Charlie and Renee hired him… He works for us now," I explained, praying that he'd understand for once. In all honesty, I could not bear to part with Edward now. Not after all we'd been through.

"THEN I DON'T WANT YOU NEAR HIM OUTSIDE OF WORK!" I jumped back at his tone. "You hear me?"

"Yes," I said quietly.

"What's that, Bella?"

"YES, okay? I won't see him… except for… at Swan's… I'm sorry," I sobbed dryly.

He got up from the recliner and joined me on the couch. "It's all good now. I love you." I was not sure if I could say it again. Not after all he'd done to me. "Bella, I love you!" Apparently, I didn't have a choice.

"I love you, too, Mike," I lied through clenched teeth. He kissed me once again. I tried to imagine kissing Edward, the way I had dreamed of it; his lips soft and inviting. It was physically impossible. Kissing Edward would not be so brutal.

"I'm gonna go home… get some sleep," I said in-between kisses. "See you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Six o' clock. Be ready for me, Baby."

A/N: Just so you know, I am starting to hate Mike, too. It's really terrible, but necessary. Trust. Good things come to those who wait. PLEASE, please, please review, and don't forget to read Your Guardian Angel, by .Cucumber. Much love and holiday peace,

C.J.

P.S. Sorry this chapter was so short. It's basically just a filler.