A/N: Hey guys! Yeah I know, I suck at updating! lol...And I have slightly bad news for you. No, I'm not quitting this story. But I did get a job and I start on Wednesday. That's actually good news. The bad news is that the computer I will have at my desk will NOT have internet or any kind of word program. So I won't be able to update during the week. I will probably work on the chapters at night during the week if I have time and then post the updates on Fridays or Saturdays. BUT I WILL STILL UPDATE; I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY!!!

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and even just read so far! And thank you to Morgan for all your help as you sit next to me working on RM and helping me finish this! lol

I had just laid down in bed, hoping to catch a few hours of sleep before the next day of faking a smile began. Before I could even get comfortable, I heard a soft knocking. Sitting up, I realized it was coming from my window. I jumped out of bed and walked over to the window to see Edward straddling a tree branch right outside my window, waiting for me to open it so he could get in. I opened the window and backed out of his way as he slung his legs into the room and pulled himself from the branch.

"Were you sleeping?"

"Not yet," I mumbled, shaking my head and looking down. I had already taken my nightly shower and washed my face. Thankfully, it was dark in my room so maybe he wouldn't see the bruise on my face. I sat down on my bed as he took his normal seat at my computer desk, turning the chair to face me.

"So you gonna tell me about those bruises Izzy?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. I shook my head no without looking at him.

"Iz, come on, it's me. You can tell me the truth," he whispered, scooting the chair closer to the bed. When he was finally right next to my bed, he lifted his hand to my chin and raised my head to look at him. I kept my eyes down, not wanting him to see me. Unfortunately, he did, even in the dark. I heard him take in a sharp breath of air, blowing it out as he muttered a string of obscenities.

"Where'd you get a black eye?" he demanded.

"I told you, I fell out of bed last night," I whispered to him. He stood from his chair and started pacing the floor, taking silent steps so Charlie didn't hear him. Charlie didn't even know we were friends. I wanted it to stay that way.

"He did that to you didn't he? And the ones on your side? James did it didn't he?" Edward asked from his spot across the room.

"No, of course not! James loves me. I told you, I fell out of bed!" I said, hating myself for defending him.

"Izzy, please, don't lie to me," he pleaded, coming to sit in front of me on the bed. Tears sprang from my eyes and I looked at him.

"Edward, please, it's fine. James didn't do this. I did. It's my fault," I said quietly, knowing he didn't believe me. I watched him for a moment, his eyes searching mine for the truth. A part of me wished he wouldn't believe me and do something about it. The other part of me wished he would believe me. I'm too scared of James.

"I don't believe you. I know you're clumsy Iz, but not this bad. And falling out of bed isn't going to give you bruises like that!" he said, pointing to my side, "Especially not bruises that look like boot prints! And I bet he told you it was your fault didn't he? Doe he tell you that Izzy? That you're not worthy of anything else. That you're too stupid to ever do anything with your life? I bet he tells you that no one else can love you the way he does too doesn't he?"

I stared at him in shock, wondering how he knew. It was like he was there all those times, listening to James yell those words at me.

"Wanna know how I know that?" he asked as I nodded my head ever so slightly.

"Because that's what my real dad used to say to my mom before he would beat her every night. That's what he would say to me before he would lock me in the closet for two days straight. You think I got all these scars on my back and arms from skateboarding like I told you? No, my dad did those. My mom has a lot more than me. She finally left him when I was six, just barely old enough to understand what was going on. And we moved here. A year later she met Carlisle, married him, and he adopted me. My real dad is back in Boston, probably beating up on his second or third wife."

"Edward, why didn't you ever tell me?" I asked him in shock.

"The same reason you're lying to me right now. Because you're scared. You're scared that he's gonna find out I know and hurt you even worse. But Bella, if you would just tell me the truth, we could figure something out. Or tell your dad, he could arrest him. But you have to quit lying; to me, and to yourself."

I shook my head furiously, tears running down my face.

"You don't get it. It doesn't matter who did this to me. If it was James, no one would ever believe me! Don't you see him at school or at parties? He's like the golden boy here. Everyone loves him, including Charlie!" I cried, disgusted with myself and my life. I used to be such a happy person. Living in Phoenix with Renee, sure I acted more like a mom to her than she did to me, but I was happy. I was outgoing, had tons of friends. And now, a few years later, I'm this quiet, withdrawn, shell of that girl that is too scared to tell her own father that her boyfriend is abusing her.

"Okay, calm down, it's okay," Edward whispered, wrapping me in his arms, "We'll figure something out, I promise."

******************

Two Weeks Later:

"What the hell is your problem? How many times have I told you to not talk to other guys?" James roared. We had just gotten to my house after school. I had left my last class and walked to his truck to wait for him when Emmett and Rosalie walked up to me to say hi. Rose complimented my long-sleeve, dark grey, cashmere sweater. Emmett was telling me a story about when Alice had bought Rose a cashmere sweater for Christmas one year.

"She wore it the next night on our first date. I took her to that place in Port Angeles with the awesome ravioli. But apparently those people don't know how to cook things right; I ended up getting sick from the food and puking all over her sweater when I walked her to her front door!" he said, laughing as Rosalie blushed.

"It was the worst date ever Bella!" Rose joked, laughing with Emmett.

"Hey, you still went out with me a week later! And you're still with me now, three years later!" Emmett said, earning a shrug from Rose.

"I felt bad for you!" she joked, making me laugh.

"What's so funny Bells?" I heard from behind me as James' arms wrapped around my waist. I jumped at the contact, tensing immediately. I hoped Rosalie and Emmett didn't notice. I looked up to see Emmett shaking hands with James, Rose looking up at him with an awed expression, just like everyone always does.

"I was just telling her a story from when Rose and I first got together," Emmett told him, James smiling at Emmett like nothing was wrong.

"So, James, are you guys gonna go to the party tonight?" Rosalie asked in a semi-flirty voice. James turned on the charm at the sound of her voice, that grin everyone but me adored so much. I've overheard other girls talk about that grin. They say it makes their hearts melt when he uses it. I just cringe when I see it.

"I was thinking about it. Will you be there?" he asked, looking from Rose to Emmett.

"Yeah, we'll be there. Everyone will!" Rose cheered.

"Well then I'll be there. I'll see you guys later," he told them, turning to open the passenger door for me. I heard Rose shouting her goodbye to him, wondering if Emmett realized his girlfriend was semi-flirting with an abuser. And that's how I got in the predicament I'm in.

James opened the driver's side door and pulled me out behind him, not even checking to see if anyone was outside and could see him. That's when you know he's really mad. I glanced over my shoulder to see Edward pulling up to his house and seeing James' death grip on my left arm, dragging me into the house. Great. Just what I need.

"James, they came up to me! I didn't even initiate anything!" I cried as he threw me on the floor right inside the front door. He walked in after me and shut the door, locking it behind him. I don't think I've ever wished Charlie was home early before. Until now.

"Get up Bella." He growled. I struggled to sit up; still sore from the last time he threw me on the floor last week. When it took me a moment just to sit up, James decided to take matters into his own hands, both hands grabbing me at the top of my arms. I cried out in pain, instantly regretting it. James hits harder when I make any noise.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you the rules Isabella. Maybe you're just too stupid to understand me!" he shouted, standing me in front of the wall next to the stairs.

"Maybe next time you'll decide to listen to me!" he yelled, slapping me across the left cheek. My hand, on instinct, flew to my cheek.

"What's wrong Bella? Did that hurt? Huh?" he asked vilely. I shook my head, refusing to let him see my tears.

" Oh so it didn't hurt? Let's see if this hurts!" he screamed, slapping me again, this time on my right cheek. The slap was so hard I couldn't catch my balance. Instead, I fell to the side, landing on the first few stairs, my head slamming into the wall of the staircase. I groaned in pain as James leaned over me.

"Will that teach you?" he sneered, kissing my cheek that he just slapped.

"And clean up the blood would you? Wouldn't want Charlie getting suspicious!" he said lightly, a chuckle escaping his lips as he left the house, slamming the front door behind him.

Blood? What blood? With every ounce of strength I had left I raised my head an inch to see a large spot of crimson on the wall. Slowly, I lifted one hand to feel my forehead, my fingers coming away sticky with blood. I held my hand in front of my face, in disbelief that this had actually happened, when the coppery smell of the blood attacked my senses. Unable to stand it, I slumped forward, passing out. The next hour or so I was in and out of consciousness, hearing little things. I'm pretty sure I heard my dad's voice.

"Bella? Oh my God, what happened? Can you hear me honey?"

"We have to get to the hospital. Come on Bells, stay with me," I heard him say, feeling him lift me from the ground and carry me to his car, laying me down in the backseat. I could hear the sirens of his cruiser as he drove as fast as he could towards the hospital.

Four hours later I woke up to the blinding whiteness of the hospital room with the annoying beeping sound coming from a machine by my head. The next thing I noticed was the pain in my head. I groaned out loud.

"Bells? You awake?" I heard Charlie ask from the chair next to my hospital bed. I nodded my head slightly, unable to talk through the pain.

"Hang in there honey, I'm gonna get the doctor," he mumbled, rushing out of the room only to return with my doctor, Carlisle Cullen, Edward's dad.

******************

EPOV

"James! You made it!" Jessica cheered as James walked into Emmett's house. Emmett has always been known for the best parties, mainly because his parents are never home. His dad is always away on business and his mom normally travels with him. I rolled my eyes at the way everyone seemed to fall all over James like he was a god or something. I stayed where I was as he made his rounds at the party, saying hello to everyone before walking into the kitchen to get a beer out of the freezer.

"Cullen," he muttered, his eyes flicking to me.

"James, nice to see you too," I said, distaste rolling off my tongue. Alice and Jasper rolled their eyes at our display. No one ever understood my hatred for him. Of course, no one else knew what he was doing to Bella either.

"Okay, so before one of you decided to start a brawl like last year, why don't I intervene and save us all bloody noses?" Jasper said jokingly, shaking James' hand.

"Hey where'd Bella? I figured she'd be with you," Alice commented, James taking a sip of his drink before answering. I tried to pretend uninterested in their conversation while listening to every word he said.

"Yeah, she wasn't feeling too good once I took her home today. She decided to stay in tonight. But she said to make sure to tell everyone hello for her!" James smiled. I stared at him, taking in the fake smile of his, wondering what he did to make Bella not feel good. After a minute or two, James excused himself to go mingle with his buddies in the living room. I decided to make my exit then. Making sure no one was watching me, I slipped out the front door and down the street to my car. Driving to Bella's house, I tried not to worry. I pulled into my driveway, cut the engine, and ran to the side of her house to the tree that was next to her room. I've climbed this tree so many times in the past year or so that it is almost like second nature to me.

When I got to her window, I noticed the light was off. Sliding the window up, I figured I would make sure she was okay before leaving. Hopping into the room, I saw nothing. She wasn't there. Knowing the chief wasn't home, I silently wandered through the house, checking to see if she was downstairs. Halfway down the stairs I saw it, a huge bloodstain on the wall next to the third step. But no one was home. With nothing else to do, I slipped out her back door, hopped the fence, and went inside my house, deciding to check on her later. At around midnight I heard our front door open, my dad coming home from his shift at the hospital. Normally he goes straight to the shower so when I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door, I was confused.

"It's open!" I shouted, Carlisle walking in and taking a seat at my computer desk. I looked up at him from my position on my bed.

"What 's wrong?"

"Edward, do you know Isabella Swan?"

"The chief's daughter? From next door?" I asked, trying not to sound suspicious. Carlisle nodded his head, a heavy expression on his face.

"I know who she is but we're not friends or anything. Why?" I lied, worry creeping up in me again. Please say she's okay.

"Chief Swan brought her into the ER tonight. Supposedly she fell down the stairs and hit her head on the wall. Edward, her forehead was almost split open. There was a big gash on her head. She blacked out when it happened and didn't wake up for a few hours. I decided to keep her overnight for observation." He explained. It took everything inside of me not to run out of the house and go kill James. I know he had something to do with this.

"So why are you asking me if I know her? Sounds pretty cut and dry," I said quietly.

"Isabella has been in the ER a lot since she moved here. I looked over her past history, it seems pretty sketchy if you ask me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping he was suspicious of James too.

"Well she's been in for various things. Broken arm, cracked ribs, a few concussions, cuts and bruises here and there. Is she seeing anyone?" he asked.

"She's been dating that guy James since she moved here. They're supposedly very serious. Everyone loves him," I told Carlisle, not bothering to hide my dislike for the guy.

"James? You mean the quarterback from last year? Quit for some unknown reason this year?" he asked.

"Yeah, that one. He said he quit because Bella didn't like him playing. Why are you asking me about them?" I demanded.

"It just seems odd to me. In her records folder, it also has records from when she lived in Phoenix. There were never any visits to the hospital for things as serious as this. And then she moves here when she's fourteen, starts dating James and BAM, broken arms, concussions, you name it, she's been in the ER for it."