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un-betaed

Prompt: Heart

"Hey, Em!" Edward bellowed across the yard.

Wake up, Bella. Wake up.

"What up, E?" Beautiful Emmett McCarty walked over, still fiddling with his phone.

"Hey, remember you were griping about finding a girl tonight? Well, I found one for you." His grip tightened on my arm.

I gasped. Surely no one could be this cruel. Wake up!

"Let go!" I hissed, trying to wrench my arm out of his grasp. He leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"Be still. I'm just repaying the favor."

"Found who?" Emmett finally looked up, confused.

"The girl you're fucking tonight." Edward grinned at me. "She's got it bad for you so it should be easy."

Emmett's eyebrows crawled up. "No shit. Where is she?" His eyes traveled over me and moved on, searching for the girl Edward was talking about.

Alice smacked Edward in the back of the head but he just laughed and ducked when she tried again.

"She's right here you dumbass," he laughed, jerking my arm.

Emmett zeroed in on me. "Who, her?"

There was a loud roaring in my ears as I twisted out of Edward's grip and headed for the gate. I barely heard Emmett's "Not cool, man," as I chanted in my head, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Alice was right beside me, spitting mad. She had some sort of silent communication with Jasper as she followed me out.

"Who does he think he is! I could just kill him, I don't care that he's Jazz's best friend. I had no idea he was such an asshole! Bella, I'm so sorry. Please don't hate Jazz because Edward is a jerk."

Two weeks I'd been here and already I'd managed to embarrass myself in such a large fashion that even I was surprised. The tears welled in my eyes but I held them back. We walked down the pavement and I tuned Alice out. Something my dad said to me once flashed through me.

Don't ever forget baby, that this thing might beat me but it won't beat you. You're strong, you've got that Swan backbone, don't you ever think different. Y'hear me girl? Hold your head up high Bella, and don't forget where you came from. You're a part of me and I'm a part of you. And baby, I couldn't be prouder.

I stopped in the street and gazed blankly at all the high end SUV's, all the Mercedes and the BMW's. Cue the sweeping movie music.

"Alice," I said to stop her from ranting. "I'm okay. I won't pretend that my heart doesn't hurt but I'll be fine. Lesson learned, end of story. No hard feelings toward Jazz or anybody else- I promise. Some guys are just jerks." I shrugged.

Alice started crying.

I hugged her and smiled but inside I was dying. I had to keep reminding myself that I had faced down much worse than Edward Cullen and lived to tell about it.