BPOV
The next morning I got ready, I was in a deep v neck black tee shirt with white wispy embellishments, a pair of really nice jeans that made my ass look awesome, and a my black converse. I put on some eyeliner and mascara; the first day of school was just a thing. I don't usually doll myself up that much. I made my way down stairs, ate some breakfast – forgoing an argument with my parents since (thank god) they went to work early – grabbed my keys, and made my way out the door. It was already pouring rain so I hurried to put on my rain coat. I almost didn't notice that some ass was blocking my car. I forgot to put up the hood on my rain coat, that's how pissed I was. I wasn't running late or anything; I was actually leaving almost an hour early, but it was the principle of the thing. You don't just block in someone's car. I must've realized that there was a chance that no one was in the car, but it didn't totally register.
I stomped over to the car, allowing my hair to become totally soaked, when I realized that I knew that car. I slowed my angry gait, but hid the smile that was trying to break free. Instead, I kept the angry look on my face and continued to stomp my way over to his car. I finally made it to the driver's side of the car and knocked on the window. I didn't bang on the window like I would have with anyone else. I knew how much he loved his car, almost as much as I loved mine. He rolled down his window and was trying hard not to laugh, as was I. Personally I thought I was doing a pretty good job at keeping an angry face, but judging by the look on Edward's face, I wasn't doing nearly as good a job as I thought.
"I told you that I was sick of this two car thing," Edward said with a smug look on his face. I just continued to look at him, except now with an incredulous look on my face. Edward's countenance remained smug, because he knew just as well as I did that I had every intention of jumping in that car with him.
"Get in the car Bella, before you catch a cold," he said with sarcasm and caring in his tone. A strange mix, but I wasn't sure if Edward was capable of not being sarcastic once you got him talking, something that I noticed he didn't do much of. I didn't say anything, and just walked over to the passenger side door and got in the car. Edward's car smelled just like him; a mix of his cologne and cigarettes. I took a deep breath and didn't look at Edward as we drove off, going to school. I pulled out my compact mirror and checked my makeup. It was just as I had done it this morning, and I internally thanked God for waterproof makeup. My hair was soaked but that was ok. I ran a comb through it, and let hang. Edward cut the heater up and put the AC on high. I looked over at him and smiled. I put my head by the vents, and let the hot air blow through my hair. My hair was insanely thick so I knew it wasn't going to do much, but it did warm up my head.
Once I was sufficiently warm, I put Edward's AC back on low, but I was going to let him adjust the temperature. It was his car and I didn't know how he liked it. Edward fixed the temperature; it wasn't too cold or too hot. It was actually quite perfect. I relaxed into his leather seats, and I felt Edward grab my hand. I raised his hand up to my lips and kissed it. I looked over at him, and saw that his attention seemed to be fully on the road, but I saw that he had that crooked smile plastered on his face. We rode the rest of the way to school in total silence.
He parked the car at the back of the parking lot and shut off the car.
"So is this where you tell me that you only wanted me for my perfect skin, kill me, take me back to your place, and peel the flesh from my bones?" I asked sarcastically. Edward looked at me like I was insane before letting out a barking laugh. He reached out and caressed my cheek with the hand that was holding mine.
"You do have beautiful skin," He said. Edward leaned over to me and gave me a gentle kiss, so gentle I barely felt his lips on mine, but I could feel the way his kiss registered with my body. He brushed his lips against mine and I pressed my lips against his. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and I put my hands in his hair. He released my mouth before we had a chance get too heated and kissed my chin.
Edward chuckled, reached into his glove compartment, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
"You got your own? What mine aren't good enough?" I joked. Edward looked at me incredulously.
"You're almost out, and I needed to get some anyway," He said and handed me a cigarette. He cracked the windows, and we lit our cigarettes, took a puff, and blew out the smoke at the same time. It was kind of funny, but neither of us commented on it.
The rain was letting up a little bit, and I could see that the parking lot was starting to fill. I looked at the clock and saw that the bell was going to ring in about fifteen minutes.
"So, how was last night?" Edward asked. I knew he was asking about how the fight went with my parents.
"They yelled. I made sarcastic comments. They threatened to take my keys. I reminded them that I bought that car without their help. They threw some other bull shit at me. I went to my room, locked the door, and cut on my iPod really, really loud. I'm quite sure my parents were banging on my door for a while, but I couldn't hear a thing. How was your night?" I asked.
"My uncle's a prick and my aunt's a ditz. I'm not sure about my cousin yet, but I don't care all that much either," Edward replied. I didn't press for any extra information, knowing that if he wanted to talk about it, he would.
After we had finished our cigarettes, we exchanged another kiss, before leaving the car and heading towards the school.
EPOV
The weeks had turned into months and Bella and I had a pretty solid routine. I'd pick her up in the morning, we'd go to school, and usually we'd skip study hall. We'd spent every waking moment we could together. I wouldn't take her back home until after midnight, and we'd both be exhausted for school the next morning. Apparently Bella's parents soon just got sick of yelling and stopped caring about when she got home. My aunt and uncle also got sick of yelling, and instead started trying to come up with creative ways to keep me in line. None of it worked.
Bella was the only stable thing I'd ever had in my life, and I couldn't be more grateful for her. Bella and I had quickly become infatuated with each other, not spending anymore time apart than was absolutely necessary. She was my air, and without her I couldn't breathe.
Soon October had rolled around and my aunt and cousin were just thrilled with the idea of decorating. Also Emmett was going to make his way down from school this month along with Jasper and Rosalie, instead of Alice going all the way to Seattle to see them, so now I get to finally meet the other cousin that I've heard nothing about.
"Edward?" I heard Alice ask. It was Saturday and she caught me while I was halfway to the door, on my way to pick up Bella. We were going to Port Angeles to see The Hangover.
"Yeah?" I asked. I stopped walking, but I didn't bother turning around to look at her.
"Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper will be here tonight. We're going to have a horror movie night. You and Bella should join us," Alice invited. I turned around and looked at her incredulously, convinced that she was joking.
"I don't think so Alice," I said and turned around to grab my keys. I felt Alice's tiny hand, tinier than even Bella's hand, grab my arm before I could reach my keys.
"Please Edward. You're my cousin and I barely know you. Give your family a chance to know you," Alice said, pleading me with her eyes. It was strange because she was asking so nicely. I was finding it hard to say no to her request.
"I'll ask Bella," I said, instead of flat out rejecting her. I really didn't want to hurt her feelings, and that was a strange feeling for me. I usually don't care that much. Alice seemed to accept my answer and let me go. As I rode to Bella's house, I thought more about Alice's offer and wondered if Bella would be up for it. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go. Well, I knew I didn't want to go, but I wasn't sure if not going would be the right decision.
I reached Bella's house and saw that her dad's police cruiser and her mom's Lexus were outside in the driveway. I knew that Bella didn't like me knocking on the door when her parents were home, and no matter how tacky I found the action, I beeped the horn to let her know that I was outside. I assumed that Bella was waiting beside the door for me, because as soon as my hand left the horn, she was running out to my car and in the car.
"Hey," She said with a sigh before leaning over to me and giving me a deep kiss. I gave her the crooked smile I knew she liked, said hi to her, and took her hand. As we drove off to Port Angeles, I thought of the best way to bring up Alice's invitation.
"Just come out with it," Bella said.
"Alice invited us to watch movies with her, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie," I blurted, after a few more moments of silent deliberation.
"Oh," Bella said simply. I was hesitant to look over at her. I wasn't sure how to feel about the situation and they were my family. I could only imagine how Bella was feeling about spending an evening with a bunch of people who she believed hated her. I couldn't give her any affirmation to any side. I wasn't even sure how they felt about Bella. All I knew was that Alice didn't trust her. Bella was silent the rest of the way to Port Angeles. We were parked outside of the little Italian restaurant that I was taking her too before she finally spoke again.
"Well, I don't see what it could hurt if we went. As long as everything stays friendly, I don't see why not," Bella said as if she were fighting with her words. I could tell that she was feeling the same way I was. She also didn't want to go, but didn't think that it would be a good decision to not go. I looked over at her and she gave me a half smile.
"So I guess that means we won't be seeing The Hangover? Because I was kinda looking forward to that," Bella said.
"I guess not," I chuckled.
After we had finished eating, we got back in the car and had another tensely quiet drive back to my place. There was a car in front of the house when we arrived; I assumed it carried the three strangers back from the city. I shut off the car and took a deep breath. I was having second thoughts about this and I saw on Bella's face that she was too. It was the first time that I had ever seen her look anything close to scared. I doubt anyone from the outside could tell that Bella and I were nervous wrecks about the evening, but I knew it and so did she.
Bella was the first one to get out of the car, and her actions made it clear that we were going through with this and I soon followed suit. She was leaning on the front of the car waiting for me when I finally left the car. I walked to her, grasped her hand, and headed for the door.
BPOV
Walking up those three short stairs was the longest walk of my life. I wasn't at all excited about what was going to happen, and you'd swear that I was going to have my eyes gauged with a rusty metal spork. Edward unlocked the door. We stepped inside and were greeted an eager Alice with a giant bowl of popcorn in her hands.
"YAY!!! I'm so glad you two could make it. We were scared that you weren't gonna show," She said with a giant smile. She motioned for us to join the rest of them in the living room and the room went from animated to deathly silent when Edward and I walked in.
"Edward this is Emmett, his girlfriend Rosalie, and my boyfriend Jasper," Alice excitedly introduced Edward to her 'crew'. When she turned towards me, she was still scarily animated but I could tell she was a lot less excited about showing me off, "Bella, you know everyone."
"Of course," I said with a small smile. Edward took a seat on an armchair and pulled me down on his lap. I could feel everyone's eyes on us, me especially. I knew that I was unwanted at this party, and that Alice had only told Edward to bring me along because she knew he wouldn't come if I wasn't there. I wanted to be able to breathe without feeling so self conscious, but it was hard when it felt like the whole world was staring at me. It was different when I was at school. I had no choice but to be there and telling the world to go fuck themselves is easy when the world was outwardly mean to you. The fact that these people were actually trying to make an effort was unsettling to me, and that showed me just how fucked up I was.
"Bella?" I heard someone call my name. I broke out of my self induced trance and looked up. I saw that Alice was trying to get my attention.
"I asked if you wanted to go shopping with me and Rose tomorrow. I thought maybe you'd like a break from Edward for a day," I looked at her incredulously. Did she really think that I'd go anywhere with her? Was she serious when she thought I'd want a break from Edward?
"No thanks," I said politely.
"I really think you should come. It would give us a chance to get to know you better," Alice said. I raised an eyebrow at her. We had three classes together last year. She knew all she needed to know about me. It wasn't much, but it was enough and all I was willing to show.
"Come on Bella. You've… changed, a lot since the last time we talked and I think that if you're dating my cousin that we get some what acquainted," Alice explained. I could tell that my constant denial of her request was making her uncomfortable, which was oddly comforting for me. I took a deep breath and decided that there couldn't be much harm in one little shopping trip.
"Alright then, I'll go," I acquiesced. I shifted on Edward's lap so that I was sitting sideways on it and my cheek was rested on his shoulder. Edward and I were perfectly content just sitting in our own little bubble, when Emmett decided to join Edward in on the conversation.
"So Eddie, how do you like Forks?" He asked taking a giant bite of pizza I just noticed was there.
"It's ok so far. Some parts are better than others," Edward said as he wrapped his arms around my waist. Everyone looked at Edward in a way that bothered me before exchanging more pleasantries with him. I knew what they were all thinking. They thought I was a tramp and I knew that they had every intention on telling him so once I wasn't around. On the outside, however, everything seemed to be going ok. They'd even brought me into the conversation. They all seemed to be genuinely nice, but I had this gnawing feeling that this was all some kind of façade, a type of ploy. The thought was making me insane, and I'd hoped that I was wrong. I hoped that they weren't going to try and separate Edward and I. I knew that their attempts wouldn't work, but it was the principle (shit I'm obsessed with principles today)
Before they were going to cut the movie on, I excused myself to go and use the restroom. I didn't really have to go, but I knew that the restroom was right by the stairwell on the next floor where I could eavesdrop, not be seen, and see if they had anything really bad to say about me. I opened the bathroom door, cut on the light, and closed the door so that they'd think I had actually gone in. They started talking immediately after they thought I wouldn't be able to hear them.
"Edward, I know that we aren't close, but we know that you've been through some messed up stuff and we don't want you to get to hurt," I heard Alice start.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Edward asked. I could hear his voice on edge, like he already knew this was coming and dreaded it just as much as I did.
"We know you've heard about what Bella's done," I heard Rosalie say.
"Yeah? What's your point?"
"Our point is that you've been through enough already and that you should leave Bella alone before she hurts you more," Alice said.
"What do any of you know about Bella?" Edward asked. I could hear the defensiveness becoming clearer in her voice.
"We know that Bella was flaky about relationships even before the incident with James. She'd date guys for a week or two, a month at the most, and then she'd dump them. We also know that she slept with her best friend's boyfriend and has cheated on her previous boyfriends. You don't need that kind of drama," Alice said, trying to talk some sense into her cousin.
"You guys don't know shit. You know what you've heard, but a person's reputation says nothing about who they are," Edward said, the anger apparent in his voice. He was as appalled as I was at the gall his family seemed to have.
"Edward, please listen to us. We saw Bella walk into the room with James, and walk out with her shirt torn and her hair a mess," Jasper said. His words brought to the forefront of my mind the events of that night. It made tears sting the back of my eyes. I tried hard to keep them in and only barely succeeded. The tears stayed at bay, but the urge to cry was strong as ever as I thought about that night. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind and went back to my eavesdropping.
"You guys will never understand what it's like to be people like Bella and I. People that everyone else thinks they know so much about," Edward sneered.
"No what we'll never understand, is why you're giving us and my parents such a hard time over a skank like Bella," Emmett all but yelled. I didn't even bother to keep up my façade. I just stomped down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, I saw that Edward was standing and looking like he was going to bust a vein trying to restrain himself from attacking Emmett. They had yet to notice me. I leaned against the wall next to the stairs.
"You know what they say about eavesdroppers?" I asked gaining everyone's attention. Everyone looked absolutely mortified that they'd been caught. Edward, however, still looked like he was about ready to pounce.
"Bella?!" Alice gasped, "How much did you hear?"
"I heard enough to know that I'm going to have to cancel that shopping trip," I said with a smirk. Alice's face fell and I wondered if maybe she really wanted to get to know me, but I quickly brushed away that thought. I had a feeling that she was the brains behind this operation.
"Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded," Emmett hurried to apologize. I pushed myself off of the wall and walked over to Edward, standing in front of him in the hopes that my close proximity would help him calm down.
"It was in this very house that it happened, in one of your guest rooms, at the end of the year pool party," I started, "You're house was the only one big enough to fit half of the junior and senior class," Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice had all sat down and seemed ready for whatever words I had to throw at them.
"I was starting to get pretty trashed that night, but decided to stop before I blacked out. I didn't wanna get grounded before summer even had a chance to really start," I ran my fingers through my hair as I spoke of that night for the first time. I began to pace, to keep myself together, "I was stumbling and stuttering, I had gotten drunker than I wanted, but not quite drunk enough. Too bad I didn't realize that until it was too late. James found me tripping over myself and led me upstairs to a bedroom. I thought he was taking me to get some rest, but one thing led to another and I guess you all know the rest huh?" I said, my voice cracking under the strain of trying not to cry.
"God, everyone just assumes that just because I'm a little flighty, I'm some kind of whore," I said looking directly at Emmett, "Did anyone bother asking what actually happened that night? Does anyone even give a shit?" I yelled at them. I was sure that I was giving myself away. I didn't want anyone to know, because by doing that I was allowing James to own me. I would officially be his victim and I couldn't allow that. I would never belong to him. Never again.
"We have to go," Edward said, grabbed me and pulled me out of the house.
A/N Sorry this took so long to get out. I had some issues the passed week or so. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next one should be up soon.
SoundTrack
Contagious Trapt
Blurry Puddle of Mudd
Dance with the Devil Breaking Benjamin
What are you looking for Sick Puppies
Where I stand Days of the New
Freak Days of the New
Diseased Seether
