"What right do you think you have to give a shit about me, huh? It's not like you sincerely care." I took another gulp from the bottle and hopped up on the counter. This is going to be a long conversation, so I might as well get comfy.

Chapter 2 JPOV

When Sam suggested that us older guys go out to a strip club to relax, never did I ever think I'd see her there. As we walked in, some chick with blonde hair and huge fake tits was dancing on the pole on stage. I personally liked the real thing. Fake tits never appealed to me….it made the girls look sleazy. She ended her "performance" and exited the stage as another song started to play. The girl that came out next had a hot little school girl outfit on and had her long, dark hair in pigtails. She was looking down so that we couldn't see her face. I decided that now was as good a time as any to grab a drink from the bar.

"Hey guys. I'm gonna grab a drink, anyone want anything?" I got their orders memorized and headed to the bar to get them. We decided that we would all take turns buying rounds, so I figured I'd start it off. While I was waiting for the bartender to put the drinks on a tray, Quil runs up to me and grabs my shoulder.

"Dude! That's Bella up there!" Ok, at this point I think he's losing it. I know that Bella hasn't been around for a while, but I figured that she would have gone to her mom's in Jacksonville. She wouldn't bother staying in Washington. I knew she was bad off when Cullen left her and I hadn't made things any easier on her once I started phasing. I wanted to protect her from the possibility of having happen to her what Emily had done to her. My temper wasn't that great when I was human, and now that I could phase too easily, I couldn't risk being too close to her when it happened, so I pushed her away. I shook my head and took the drinks to the guys.

That is when Sam joined in Paul's insanity. "Jacob, seriously, that's Bella." I rolled my eyes and turned around. There she was….shaking her hips to the beat and sucking her thumb. Damn, she looked hot. But that only worried me more. Looking that good in a town like this, I wondered how many times she has been preyed upon.

Before I could think better of it, I yelled for her. "Bella?" Ok, so it was more like a question, but I had to make sure it was really her. She looked our way, but seemed like she was just hearing things. I hauled ass up to the stage and yelled her name again. She then looked at me and gave me a look as if to say that now wasn't the time. I tried to talk to her anyways. She then crawled over to me. Fuck I want her! "I'll talk to you right after this, let me finish this song and I am done for the night." I really needed to talk to her, so I nodded and sat down, watching over her protectively as the old guys drooled over her and slid their tips into her skimpy outfit.

When the song was over, I went to wait by the front door for her. I told the guys I wanted to talk to her to find out what the fuck has been going on with her to end up in a place like this. Since we all came together in one vehicle, they decided to come with me. As we were waiting, it was funny to see that we looked bigger and scarier than the bouncers. It was a random thought I had.

She came out from backstage and I walked with her back to her place while the guys drove over. It was only a few blocks, so it wasn't a big deal. The whole way there, all I could thing is What the hell has she gotten herself into? I am really worried about her. She looks even thinner than I remember and her eyes don't have the fire in them that they used to. She seems almost dead on the inside.

Once we got inside, she told us to make ourselves at home while she ran to the bathroom. I looked in her fridge to see what she had to drink. There wasn't much in there except for a few bottles of water and a few condiments. When I opened the freezer, I was shocked at the amount of alcohol she had in there. Since when did Bella drink?

I heard the doorknob to the bathroom turn and ran into the living room with the rest of the guys. I shook my head in disbelief at what she has become. Bella headed to the kitchen and I followed. She asked me to wait a minute and grabbed some rum out of the freezer and proceeded to chug that shit like it was water.

"What are you doing here Jake?" I am wondering the same thing of her. "That's what I should be asking you, Bella. What happened to you? What happened to the Bella who was sweet, caring, and innocent? This isn't you." She wouldn't turn around…she just kept facing the fridge. I wasn't prepared for her response.

"She died. It was either kill her off or be killed. The Volturi found me still human and it was either strip or die. What would you have chosen, Jacob?" Kill or be killed? That is what this has all come to? "What about the alcohol?" I am really wondering what is going on and I want her to tell me everything that happened.

"What about it? That among other things helps to ease the pain caused by both you and Edward. At first, you were helping with me dealing with Him leaving, but then you left me too. It all became too much to handle. The alcohol helps numb the pain. What right do you think you have to give a shit about me, huh? It's not like you sincerely care." Ouch. That stung. Although I knew it wasn't safe for her to be around, I still cared about her. Shit, I was still in love with her.

She jumped up on the counter and took another swig of the rum. I moved in closer to her, wanting to keep my voice down. "Bella, I had to get away before I could hurt you like Sam did to Emily. That right there shows that I cared about you….still do." She huffed at my statement and rolled her eyes.

"Right and I am clean and sober. You could have at least told me what was going on, Jacob. Don't you think I at least deserved that much? To have some insight as to why you abandoned me when I needed you most? You knew I wasn't in a place emotionally to handle that shit." Why did she have to make everything so difficult? "If you want to keep talking, you need to get rid of the guys. I'll give you a ride back tomorrow. I just don't want to hide in the kitchen all night. And if you could, have them not say anything to Charlie…..at all. Not even that they saw me tonight. He wouldn't be able to handle it." I nodded and made my way to the living room. I wanted some answers and I knew that she didn't want to discuss it all while the other guys were here.

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