Chapter Eighteen: Trouble Found Me

"Took you long enough." Jessica grumbled as I got into the backseat of her car. Angela was already in the front.

"Sorry. I had to call my dad before I left." I lied. Alice had let me use her cell phone during lunch so I could call the station. Charlie seemed surprised that I wasn't going with Alice and Rosalie and that I still wasn't going to the dance. He just didn't get why I was going along. I wouldn't have to explain that to my mom. Maybe he thought I would go to the dance with Emmett. I would be with him on Saturday, just not at the dance. The thought of Emmett seeing my clumsy, uncoordinated version of dancing made me cringe. Way embarrassing.

"I wish you would go with us to the dance, Bella. It's going to be so much fun and I'm going to miss you not being there." Angela said warmly as we left Forks. She really meant it too.

"Ang, you know I'm going out of town on Saturday. But I appreciate the gesture." I said. I really like Angela. She's so sweet and I can see a long friendship between us.

"Ok and your welcome. Have fun in Seattle then." She said sincerely. "I'm really looking forward to this. Since Eric is so tall, I can actually wear heels."

"So do you think you'll start dating him now or what?" Jessica asked rather nosily. It really was none of Jessica's business who Angela dated.

"No, he's just a friend. Eric's just not my type." Angela said shyly. I could tell that she did have a crush on someone though. And apparently so could Jessica.

"So who is your type? If it's not Eric, then who?" Jess just wanted to meddle. She was probably going to tell the guy that Angela liked him; Along with the rest of the school. Maybe Jessica thought she was playing matchmaker but I knew Angela didn't want her to. She was a reserved person and jess wasn't.

"Well, what about you and Mike, Jess? Are you two just friends still or is it more now?" I asked to save Angela from the gossip network. She shot me a quick, grateful smile as Jessica began to blather on about Mike.

"Oh, definitely more. I expect Mike to kiss me at the dance. It will be great. Slow dancing under all the lights with both of us in nice outfits and then he'll lean in and-" she got into a long description about what she wanted that evening to be like and I just blanked out. The scenery hadn't changed much from last Saturday or when I went this way as a kid but I watched it anyway. Mostly I daydreamed about Emmett and me. I didn't really want to go to Seattle anymore because there was no reason to other than escaping the dance. Alice and Rosalie had taken care of my clothing need and I just wanted alone time with Emmett now. Everything about him was new and exhilarating. I know the next time he runs with me, I wont get sick. I had just been scared and nervous last time.

"Bella, welcome to port Angeles." Angela said as we drove into the city. Most of it was just a big tourist trap with novelty shops along a boardwalk that led to a picturesque beach. It was a nice looking city.

Jessica and Angela were no tourists. Instead of going to the boardwalk shops, they drove directly to the only department store in the city. We quickly found the junior's section and got to work. They each grabbed four or five dresses and went to the dressing rooms. I watched them model each dress and gave critique.

Angela came out in a baby pink dress that hung on her body perfectly. It was strapless with a fitted bodice. She seemed to be blushing about her bare shoulders but she looked great.

"I like that one. You should buy it. Drive your crush crazy with it." I suggested in a friendly manner.

"You think? It's not too revealing?" she asked nervously and removed her arms from around her middle. With them gone, I could see butterfly cutouts all the way around. One exposed her belly button.

"No, it's perfect." I reassured her honestly. She would look great in it. The dress suited her very well.

"I was just curious and don't get mad at me if this is false information, but are you really going to prom with Tyler?" Angela asked shyly, like she really was afraid I'd yell at her/

"What have you heard to make me think I am?" I asked, trying not to be upset.

"Tyler has been telling everyone he's taking you to prom. That's why Lauren doesn't like you. She wants Tyler." Angela explained. I had wondered why Lauren had been glaring at me today.

"I can't believe he'd do that. I never said yes to anything with him." I fumed. He was being pushy and it was becoming a problem if it was because he felt guilty about the accident. Maybe if I run into his car, he'd stop trying to make it up to me. And if he kept on, at least he wouldn't have anything to pick me up for prom in.

"I knew it wasn't true. You aren't the kind of girl who would irritate anyone. Lauren should be irritated at Tyler, not you." Angela pointed out. I really didn't want Lauren as an enemy but she had never really liked me so that was a lost cause anyway.

Just then, Jessica stormed out of the dressing room with a yellow dress bunched up at her thighs and stuck on her head." Help me get this damn dress off!" she snapped through the material as Angela and I started to laugh.

"Jess," I said between fits of laughter. "What did you do?"

Her face, what little you could see of it that wasn't covered by the dress, was bright red and she looked like she was about to burst out of the yellow fabric. "Someone mislabeled this dress. Why would you put a 4 tag on a dress that should be a size 2? Stop giggling your heads off and help me!" Jessica shouted. I was willing to bet the dress was a 4 and she just couldn't fit into it.

After a few minutes of pulling, we finally managed to free Jessica. Unfortunately, it ripped a little, forcing her to buy it. She was really upset, grumbling and calling it 'the damn scrap dress'. Angela found a great pair of shoes to match her dress.

Jessica cheered right up when she found a stunning but cheap magenta dress that flattered her 'assets'. She couldn't buy any new jewelry or shoes because of the added cost of the 'scrap dress' though. Jess was helping Angela choose accessories for he dress when I decided to go off on my own.

"Hey, I think I'm gonna go walk around the city. You know, sight-see." I told them.

"You want us to come with you?" Angela asked sweetly, like she didn't want to be alone with Jessica. She'd been trying to persuade Angela to buy her something since she didn't have the money. I felt for Angela.

"That's ok. I'll be fine. Meet at the restaurant?" I asked. We were going to dinner later at a restaurant they pointed out to me on the way here. I was sure I could find it by myself.

"Ok. Later Bella." Jess said, her attention on a pair of jeweled barrettes.

Jessica obviously wouldn't miss me but I could see that Angela was concerned about my going off on my own. I gave her a reassuring smile on my way out. She was a true friend but I wish she wouldn't worry about me. I'll be fine.

As I wandered toward the shops on the boardwalk, I couldn't help but wonder what Emmett was doing right now. Maybe he was doing some guy stuff with Edward and jasper. As much as I knew it was ridiculous, they both kind of frightened me.

Emmett's brothers were just so big. I mean, Emmett is bigger than both of them but jasper seemed a little unstable and Edward had a temper issue. Those mood swings of his made him unpredictable and dangerous. But both of them seemed to like me so I was just being silly about them. I hoped they were having fun together.

The Cullens were already becoming my vampires. They accepted me so easily and I was comfortable around them. I was still so curious about them. Most of my questions were for Emmett. I yearned for my alone time with him this Saturday. He was already the only guy I saw.

My fantasies came to an abrupt halt when I saw where I was. I'd wandered away from the cheery tourist trap into a dank industrial area I knew I wasn't supposed to be in. and it was getting dark.

Oh, this was not good. This was definitely the wrong place for me. Just keep moving, that's all I could do until I found a way back to the familiar part of the city. Forget finding a bookstore. I need to find Jessica and Angela before something happens.

Too late. I'd just walked past a bar with four guys outside. Their eyes were glued to me. And not because they wanted to chat. The eyes were on my body. I looked away quickly, hoping not to attract them. Leave me alone please. I don't want any trouble.

Despite myself, I had to look back to see if they were following me. My heart flat lined with dread and then kicked it in overdrive as they shrugged off the wall and came after me.

Damn it! Walk fast, Bella. Don't let them catch you. I wish I knew more self-defense or had some pepper spray so I might stand a chance of fighting them off. My heart hammered as they separated, one pair going into another alley, the other right behind me.

Just get to the streetlight and you'll be safe, Bella. I thought as I sped to it. There were people over on the next street but it seemed so far away. I pushed myself faster, refusing to go out like this. I had a lot to live for and I wasn't giving it up. I'd kick and scream and punch until I couldn't anymore if I had to.

But they probably had weapons on them. I couldn't defend myself from that kind of attack. There was no way I was going to survive if they had a gun. I'm dead.

I was getting freaked out and irrational. Maybe they didn't want to hurt me. They could just be walking home in the same direction I'm going. The other two might live down that alley they turned into. I could just be scared and making a big deal out of nothing.

Oh get real, Bella! I yelled at myself. Guys didn't look like that and go that fast if they were just walking home. They were tracking me like prey.

And then the other pair was in front of me, coming at me from the alley next to me. The four were closing ranks and corralling me into the shadows. I was trapped.

"There you are. You shouldn't run like that, sugar." A tall guy with short brown hair in front of me said. I could smell the beer on them, especially this guy. His eyes were maliciously fixed on me. I hated it.

"Stay away from me." I said with less force than I wanted. My mouth was dry and my heart was beating fast, a reaction to the crippling fear I felt.

"She's mine guys." The guy who smelled like beer said to his buddies, waving them to the sides. They smiled evilly at me.

"I am not. Get away from." I said, curling my hand into a fist and retting ready to break the guy's thick, old lady glasses.

"Don't be like that, sugar. Don't you like me? He said, reaching for me. I jumped out of the way but one of his buddies caught me, squeezing the tops of my arms hard.

Time to start fighting. I swung my heel back into my restrainer's shin as hard as I could and elbowed him in the windpipe when he crumpled. Then I punched tall, dark, and drunk in the nose, breaking it and those ugly frames. Another tried to put me in a headlock so I bit him as hard as I could and punched him in the gut until he let me go with a yelp of pain. The fourth got my knee in his groin when he tried to stop me from running. He went down hard.

And caught the short heel of my boot. I fell to the pavement with him, skinning my hands. It wasn't deep or bleeding so I could still fight them off. But someone grabbed me by my throat and hauled me up. I couldn't breathe.

"Hold her to the wall. I'll take care of this bitch." The guy whose nose I'd broken said. He was pissed off and taking a knife out.

I screamed and got slapped for it. "Shut up and hold still. If you do, you might live through this." The guy who's slapped me said.

Oh, god. They were going to kill me. And torture me first. Just let it be quick. I had no hope whatsoever that anyone would find me in this dark alley. If these guys didn't kill me, the injuries they were going to inflict will after a while.

I'm as good as dead now.

A/N: I know you all are mad at me for taking so long to update and even more upset about the cliffhanger here. I already have the next chapter written and typed up. A few reviews would prompt me to post it faster. Thanks for sticking with me and I promise some really great chapters on this story and my others. 'The wedding and after' is getting a new chapter soon and so is 'heavy PMS' as soon as I decide what to do with it. Love you all.

Emeralda Violeta