A/N: Thanks everyone for the well wishes. This is the original Author of this story; I just had a name change to avoid some drama. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to save copies of the chapters or download them or put them in PDF file etc if you are interested in having a copy for yourself. It doesn't bother me. I don't write for profit. Just fun.
BPOV
I had to admit, I made one damn good chicken Alfredo. After dinner Alice and I were cleaning up the dishes while Edward went upstairs to shower.
"Well another night that you don't have to go home," Alice observed as we were walking upstairs to my room.
We both knew that nights were the worst at my house. Last night was just one of the many "rough" nights that occurred more often than not.
My bedroom door slamming into the wall jolted me awake as I sat up straight in bed.
"Ooooohhhhh Beeeelllaa."
My dad's voice rang out in the still night air. He was drunk. Again. My body started shaking as I gripped my bed sheets in my fists. Please just walk away, I thought, just walk away Charlie. Luck was not on my side though. Not that it ever was.
Charlie stumbled into my room and bumped into the side of my bed. I glanced at the side table at the alarm clock. 3:34. Christ.
"Get out of bed," he demanded.
I made no move to get up and Charlie became impatient and stumbled towards me. I scrambled to kick the sheets off me but my foot got caught causing me to tumble to the floor. I heard Charlie cackle evilly before reaching down and pulling me upright by my arm.
I yanked my arm out from his grasp and accidently hit his chin pretty hard.
"You little bitch," Charlie hissed.
I stumbled backwards as I saw Charlie raise his hand; I ducked my head so that he wouldn't hit my face again and felt a sharp sting on my shoulder. I could feel his fingers digging into my skin there as he shook my arm. After a couple more blows he finally dropped me to the floor with a muttered "Worthless bitch" on his way out.
"Sorry excuse of a fathe," I muttered under my breath as my door slammed shut.
I rotated my shoulder and felt the stiffness, but I knew that it would be worse tomorrow. Four years ago I promised Alice that I would always text her or call her after something happened with my dad and I haven't ever broken that promise. I picked up my cell and sent a quick text to her knowing that she would reply immediately. She always kept her phone right next to her in case I ever needed her in the middle of the night.
Charlie gave me a cell phone but I was limited on my minutes and he checked every little detail on there. I could delete the call log or the text messages, but he would just get online and see everything that way. He wanted to make sure that I wouldn't tell anyone. But there was no one to tell besides Alice. No one else would believe me. The Charlie people saw in public was a separate Charlie than I saw at home. No one really saw his true colors.
Night Ali. Love you. -Bella
There. Just enough for her to know that something happened, but that I was fine. Not ten seconds later my phone lit up with a message back.
Night Bells, I'll be over in a few hours to help you dress for school. Love you. -Ali
End Flashback
I shook my head to rid myself of the flashbacks that haunted me as I went into the room that Edward and Alice had set up for me two years ago. I stepped into the familiar room that had become my sanctuary for the last two years. I grabbed a tank top and pajama bottoms before heading to the bathroom. I only wore tank tops around them. I was still ashamed of the scars and bruises that marred my skin, but around them I was comfortable. They didn't look at my imperfections like they were disgusted with me.
I finished with my shower and made my way back downstairs to find Alice. Luckily we didn't have any homework so we had the rest of the night to hang out. I found Edward and Alice cuddled up together on the couch watching another movie. Alice was sitting on the edge and Edward was in the middle. I went to my spot on his right side and sat down, laying my head on his chest with my right arm resting on his stomach.
Alice reached over and grabbed my hand and held it in hers while we continued watching 'Hancock'.
"Bells, are you going to stay in our room tonight?" She asked me as the movie ended. Sometimes I slept with them; they kept my nightmares away, and other nights I stayed in my own room.
I looked at her to see if she really minded and could see that she didn't. Edward rubbed my back and smiled down at me.
"Sure, that would be great." I said smiling up at them.
I really was lucky to have such great friends. After two hours of playing cards with Alice I forgot all about my problems and worries and that night as Edward spooned Alice and Alice spooned me, our hands all intertwined together, I slept peacefully for the first time in a week. Visions of a certain blue eyed God played out in my head all night.
"Bella! Wake up!" Yelled a high pitched voice in my ear.
"Ugh," I groaned, "Alice I'm right here, you don't have to yell."
"She is worse than any alarm clock." Edward groaned from behind her.
I giggled and turned over so that I could face the evil pixie head on.
"You would think he would be used to it by now," she huffed while giving me a playful wink.
I heard Edward groan as he leaned over and pecked Alice on the lips standing up.
"You would think," he muttered.
I stretched and sat up as Edward came over to me and kissed my cheek.
"Mornin'," he grumbled before stalking off for their bathroom.
I just chuckled and made my way back to my room to get ready. I was almost to the door when Alice ruined my good mood.
"I'll be in there in a few minutes Bells! We have to get you looking hot for Mr. Whitlock," she called out playfully.
I just groaned and continued walking. So she did see me eye fucking him.
An hour later she had me in another pair of skinny jeans and a black long sleeved shirt that showed just a sliver of my skin at the bottom. It did look good, I had to admit. I kept my hair in a ponytail today. It was raining hard and I didn't want to be bothered with it getting all wet and hanging in my face.
Alice held my hand as we walked up to the school and went our separate ways. By lunch time I was cranky and ready for English. My heart fluttered every time I thought about being in the same room with Mr. Whitlock. I was seriously sick. This was going from a simple crush to border line obsession and I didn't even know his first name. A shadow crossed over the table and I looked up to see the devil himself looking down on Alice and me.
"You know Bella, one night with me and I could change your status to straight," said James, standing in front of me and Alice while we ate lunch.
James was the second string Quarter back on the football team and thought he was God's gift to girls. He was nothing but an arrogant, conceited ass though if you asked me. I looked at him and smirked.
"Ya think so?" I asked him.
"Oh, I know so baby," He replied trying to sound sexy.
He sounded like he had a frog in his throat.
"Sorry, no can do." I replied before looking away.
I was sick of his games. It was all a joke to him and his football buddies. Who could nail me first. I would be nothing more than a notch on his belt.
I looked back startled when he slapped his hands down on the table, "I will have you Bella. Make no mistake about that," He said angrily before walking back to his table.
"What a dick," said Alice picking at her sandwich, "Don't be alone around him Bella, I have a bad feeling about him."
"I don't plan on it. Trust me. He creeps me out too," I admitted before turning my attention back to my garden salad.
The rest of lunch we talked about what we would do this weekend. Charlie was going to be spending the weekend at his friend, Billy's house, so that meant I got all weekend with Alice without having to worry about being home to cook for him. After plans were made, we went our separate ways until we would meet again at the end of the day.
For some reason sixth period gym class let out a little early so I was the first one to arrive in English. I stepped inside and saw Mr. Whitlock with his back to me facing the blackboard. I guess he had a free period right before our class. I could feel the tingles starting in my toes as I walked to my seat in the back. As if he could feel them too he turned and looked around the room before his eyes settled on me.
I could feel myself blushing again under his gaze and cursed my pale skin.
"Hello Miss Swan," he said with a small grin.
"Hello." I whispered, I could hardly breathe and he was walking towards me.
He gave me a small smile before pulling up a chair and sitting in front of me.
"You're a Senior this year right?" He asked, seeming interested.
"Yes Sir."
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen." I replied feeling a little bit braver.
"Any colleges lined up?"
"I'm applying at the Community college here. I don't want to go far," I said.
It was partly true. Alice and I were going to take a few college courses there next year then transfer to a college in Seattle. Edward wanted to move to Seattle to be closer to his club and was also thinking of opening up another bar there. Plus he offered me a job at the strip club being a bar tender on the weekends that he would be there, so it really was the best solution all around. Alice and I would get to stay together.
He nodded his head as the bell rang. I could hear students filling the halls all ready to get to the last class of the day. He winked and stood up, making his way to the front of the classroom.
What was that all about?
"Oh my gosh! What did he say to you?" Alice whispered, plopping down beside me.
How did she know these things?
"Calm down will ya?" I hissed at her, "Do you want people to get suspicious?"
The bell rang signaling the start of class, so luckily I didn't have to answer her. It's not like there was anything going on though. He just asked me two questions and gave me a smile...and a wink, but surely that didn't mean anything. Right? You're being stupid, I told myself, of course it didn't mean anything. He had to be in his late twenties, why would he want someone still in high school. With his looks he could have any woman he wanted.
Mr. Whitlock then started talking about the different things we would find in Wuthering Heights and what to look for. He also said that he wanted an Essay on the first five Chapters next Friday. I groaned inwardly, why did all the teachers feel the need to assign homework all on the same night? At least this homework would be fun though. For me.
As the bell rang I shuffled around getting my stuff together while Alice waited patiently. I stood up and followed her out, right before we got to the door frame I heard Mr. Whitlock's voice from behind me.
"Goodbye Bella," he said with a wave.
I waved back silently, but was jumping up and down on the inside. Could he feel the energy and the tingles like I could?
"Call me tonight Bella if you need me, you know it's going to get rough." Alice said, as I was stepping out of her car.
She was right, it was probably going to get bad tonight.
"I'll come pick you up if you need me to," she added.
I nodded my head at her and gave her a smile that I hope looked strong. Inside though, my stomach was turning. Just how bad would it be tonight though? Some nights I got away fairly unscathed, others...I wasn't so lucky.
If others knew about my situation they would probably wonder why I didn't just turn him in now that I was eighteen. Sometimes I wondered why too. But it all came down to blood. He was all I had left. He was my dad whether we liked it or not. He wasn't always like this either. It started after my mom, Renee, died when I was thirteen of cancer. Dad starting drinking and then became verbally abusive. When he realized that his words no longer had an effect on me he turned to hitting me.
I reminded him too much of Renee. I had her eyes and her facial structure. I looked more like her than Charlie. Sometimes I was tempted to just get my shit and move in with Edward and Alice but since I was still in school Charlie could easily find me and try to drag me back. I wasn't sure if he would use force and I wasn't willing to risk it. After graduation all bets were off though. I already agreed to move in with Alice and I would get a part time job to help out financially until we relocated to Seattle.
I went up to my room and started on my homework until it would be time to start dinner. I chose to make spaghetti tonight. It was quick and simple and was easy to clean up. I just set the plates on the table when I heard Charlie pull up in the driveway. I sat down and started eating just waiting for Charlie to come in and join me.
He didn't say a word as he sat down and ate and I could feel the tension in the air. This was not going to end well for me. Alice was right.
When we both had finished I stood up to take the plates to the sink when he stopped me by grabbing me by the arm roughly.
"You can't hide from me forever, Isabella," he spat, "I don't give a shit where you spend your nights, but I hear people talking. I know that you're a slut, sleeping around with Alice."
With that he threw me to the floor and kicked my legs. I groaned and tried to roll away from his blows.
I stood up quickly only to be met with his fist as he hit me square in my jaw. Whatever he heard pissed him off more than usual. He was usually pretty careful not to hit my face too much. He thought it would raise suspicion.
I could feel the tears sliding down my cheeks as I leaned against the wall. He pinched my arms before leaving the kitchen without as much as a backwards glance. I wiped away the tears and gently touched my jaw where I was hit. It was already swelling. Super, I though sarcastically. I finished with the dishes then made my way up to my room. Charlie of course was stationed in front of the TV, beer in hand.
I went to the bathroom and shut the door. Five years of this. If mom could see me now she would be so disappointed in me. I dried the remaining tears and looked in the mirror. There was already a bruise forming and my arms were red and sporting new bruises as well. I didn't have enough concealer left to cover this bruise on my face either.
I finished washing up and made my way to my bedroom, texting Alice before climbing into bed.
I need to borrow some concealer, please. I'm out. -Bella
I turned off my light and snuggled under my covers.
I'll come over early and do your makeup, unless you want me to pick you up? -Ali
I thought about her offer. I should just leave, but I knew that it would only be a temporary fix to an on-going problem. Once I came back it would be even worse.
No thanks. I'll see you in the morning. Love you. -Bella
Okay, call me if you need me. Love you more. -Ali
Luckily, Charlie didn't bother me during the night, but I still woke up to my normal nightmares. Finally around five I gave up on the hope of sleep and sat in bed and waited for Alice. I must have dozed off at some point though because I woke up to Alice's sharp intake of breath as she took in my face.
"Christ Bella," she whispered shutting the door, "it looks awful."
I grimaced and sat up straight and touched my jaw carefully. It certainly felt tender.
"I just didn't see it coming this time," I whispered willing myself not to cry.
Crying didn't solve a damn thing.
"It's not your fault Bells," she said, giving me a hug, "Go wash up and then we'll get started."
Alice did her best with the bruise, but if you looked closely you could still see it. I hated wearing so much makeup too. Luckily teachers either didn't notice or didn't care and made no comments about it.
Alice and I decided to skip lunch today and went outside instead. It hurt too badly for me to chew food and it was nice out for once so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather while it lasted.
"I'll meet you in Chem, I need to go to the bathroom," I told Alice, leaving her texting Edward.
I put on some more concealer in the bathroom then made my way out checking my phone. I looked up right as I ran into a hard body, causing me to fall down on my bottom.
"I'm so sorry!" I gasped.
I heard a familiar chuckle and felt the electricity jolt through my body. Mr. Whitlock. I looked up and saw him smiling down on me with his hand held out to mine. I put my hand in his tentatively as he helped me back on my feet.
"No worries Bella, it was my fault," he replied easily.
I saw his eyes narrow as he took in my face. I'm sure he was looking at the bruise. God dammit. No telling what he'll think now.
"Isabella what happened?" He asked firmly looking into my eyes.
I swear his eyes got darker as he looked over my face.
"I-it's nothing," I stammered, "Just took a spill."
I got a strange feeling in my stomach as I lied to him. It was like I felt guilty for not telling him the truth. I felt like I was deceiving him. I shook my head to clear those thoughts, he didn't need to know the truth, and it wasn't his business.
"Sure doesn't look like nothing," he replied.
What did he want me to say? That was all that he was going to get out of me.
"I'm sorry Mr. Whitlock?" I said, though it came out as more of a question.
He pinched the bridge of his nose before looking up and down the hallway. We were utterly alone.
"Very well," he said briskly, before walking off.
What the hell was that about? This man was going to drive me insane. I picked up my bag from the floor and made my way to the Chemistry lab as the bell rang, thoughts of Mr. Whitlock's angry stare burning through my mind.
