Chapter Seven - (friends)

BPOV

I sit up in my bed, running my hands through my hair and then down my face. I have a splitting headache from crying all night. I climb out of bed and gather my books for school. I head down the stairs as quietly as I can — it's Charlie's day off work and I'll do anything to avoid running into him. One of the stairs squeaks.

"Shit!" I curse under my breath.

I hear Charlie getting out of his chair as I run down the rest of the stairs and head for the door.

"Where are you going?" he asks me.

"Um, school," I reply hesitantly.

"Aren't you going to have breakfast?" he asks me with confusion in his voice.

"I'm not hungry, okay?" I snap at him as I turn around and face him.

His face is covered in shock, looking at me as if I'm an alien. I quirk my brow at him.

"What?" I ask in annoyance.

"What happened to your face?" he asks with I think a bit of anger in his voice.

I look at him incredulously as he looks at me expectantly. I roll my eyes, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Of course you don't remember. You were too drunk."

He shakes his head with a horrified look on his face.

"Bullshit. I'd never hit you Bella. You're my daughter," he says in a stern voice.

"No, Charlie. I'm not. Not anymore."

A tear slips down my cheek as I stare into his eyes, and for the first time since my mother left, he actually looks like the father I once knew. But I know deep down inside he's not. And he never will be again. I turn my back on him and walk out the door to my truck. I drive to school and as I park my truck, I notice the very familiar silver Volvo. I smile to myself thinking about all of the events from last night, remembering that Edward was the last thing I thought about before I finally fell asleep.

I look around the parking lot, searching to see if he's here. I can't see him anywhere, but I see the all too familiar short black haired pixie, Alice, staring right at me. She doesn't have that bright, happy aura around her like she usually does. She's looking at me hesitantly?

I smile at her lightly and give her a small wave. Her body language and face immediately light up at the gesture, a huge grin replacing her somber expression. She begins to walk over to me as I get out of my truck.

"Hey, Alice." I greet her once she's close enough to hear me.

She says nothing as she closes the distance between us, pulling me into an embrace, hugging me.

"Thank you," she whispers.

I stand there in shock. I actually think my jaw has dropped. I slowly wind my arm around her and lightly pat her on the back.

"Uh, for what?" I ask her, my voice filled with confusion.

"Don't worry about it," she says through her laughter.

She sighs as she steps out of the embrace. She cocks her head to the side.

"Are you alright, Bella?" she asks with concern clear in her voice.

I make sure to hide my bruised face with my hair. Alice sees right through me, though. I take a step back, but she steps closer to me pulling my hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. Her eyes go wide as her hand flies to her mouth.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" she practically screams at me, her voice going up an octave.

"Shhh! Keep it down. It's nothing. Don't worry about it," I say in a hushed voice, trying to convince her. I don't need everyone finding out that my father hit me.

"Are you kidding? It's not 'nothing'!" she whispers at me, in a frenzied voice.

"Alice. Please, just drop it," I plead with her.

My eyes begin to water and her expression softens.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you. If you need to talk to anyone, you know you can talk to me, right?" she asks in a whisper.

The look in her eyes makes me feel like I can trust her, but I can't seem to make myself believe it. Not after everything that's happened. The bell rings, signaling that it's time for English.

"Come on. Let's get to class," She says as she winds her arm through mine, leading me towards the entrance of the school.

As we approach the stairs, I see Jessica and Lauren. Jessica has a bewildered expression on her face, and Lauren's face is as sour like it is any other day. My eyes connect with Jess's and she honestly looks hurt. I look at her apologetically. She narrows her eyes at me and straightens up her back.

As we walk by them, Lauren sticks her foot causing Alice and I to fall to the ground.

"Well, look what the trash dropped in," she snickers.

Alice stands up abruptly; dusting herself off then spins around to face her.

"What the hell was that? Are you insane?" she asks incredulously.

Jessica laughs as Lauren quirks her brow at Alice.

"Not as insane as you, hanging out with that piece of trash," she replies with disgust in her voice.

"And who might I ask you're referring to as trash? Because it certainly isn't Bella. Considering she's wearing designer clothes and you look like you've gone to a store provided for hookers," she spits at her.

Lauren's face drops and anger flashes in her eyes.

"What did you just say to me?" she screams at Alice.

Alice laughs shaking her head, and rolls her eyes at Lauren as she places her hands on her hips.

"You heard me," she repeats Lauren's earlier statement.

Lauren steps closer to Alice with a threatening look on her face. I feel like I should step in and do something, but I just can't seem to make myself get off of the ground. It's like I'm glued to the spot, horrified.

"You better watch what you say, pixie. I'll make your life here so miserable you'll regret ever sticking up for that bitch," she whispers in a menacing tone.

I hear a pair of clicking heels coming up from behind me. I look to see who it is. She looks at me, then between Alice and Lauren. Alice's face turns into a massive grin. So this must be another one of the Cullens.

"Hey, Rosalie. I was just explaining to Lauren here, that she looks like she shops at a hooker store," she says with an innocent smile on her face.

Rosalie rolls her eyes at Alice.

"How nice of you, Alice," she says with sarcasm laced in her voice.

She walks over to me, extending her hand. I take it and she pulls me up. Rosalie looks over to Lauren. Lauren quirks her brow, and looks at Rosalie with an appalled expression. Rosalie steps closer to Lauren, and narrows her eyes at her.

"You. What's your damage, huh?" she all but growls at Lauren.

Lauren looks between Jessica, Alice and I. She takes a deep breath as she steps backwards, putting some distance between herself and Rosalie.

"What's it to you, Blondie? You aren't involved in this—"

"You're insulting my family and pushing people around by the looks of it," Rosalie says, cutting her off. Rosalie looks over to me, then back to Lauren.

"So you've just made me involved. Keep your trap shut and your hands to yourself. Got it?" she asks in a demeaning voice.

She turns on her heel. Alice and I follow after her. I laugh quietly to myself as Alice winds her arm through mine again.

My body is suddenly jerked towards the ground as Alice is pulled out of my arms. I stand up quickly to see Lauren's arm wrapped around Alice's neck.

"Get your hands off me!" Alice screams at Lauren as she swings her arms around, trying to release herself from Lauren's grip.

She turns her head and bites Lauren on the arm, causing her to scream. I stand up and run towards them, but Jessica steps in and grabs a hold of my arm. I try to pull free, but she has a firm grip on me.

"What are you doing Lauren? Let her go!" I scream at her.

Tears well up in my eyes as I see Alice gasping for air with her eyes closed from the pain. Alice is so tiny, there's no way she can get out of Lauren's hold.

"Rose!" Alice screams.

I swing my hand around to Jessica's head and grab a fist full of her hair, pulling as hard as I can.

"Ahh, you fucking bitch!" she screams in my ear.

I step on her foot, then jab her in the ribs with my elbow. She falls to the ground as I run towards Alice and Lauren again.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Get your hands off her!"

I stop abruptly and turn around to see Rosalie with an ominous look on her face, charging down the hall. I look over at Lauren and for the first time in her life, she looks absolutely horrified. She lets go of Alice. I run towards her as Rosalie lunges towards Lauren, and punches her in the face. She falls to the ground.

"Do you have a fucking death wish? I told you to keep your hands to yourself!" she screams at Lauren as she hovers over her.

"I swear these stupid bitches in this town are going to drive me insane!" she mutters as she heads back down the corridor.

Alice and I don't waste any time getting to English, and practically run into the classroom. We give Mr. Berty sheepish looks as we head to our seat in the back of the classroom. The class passes by fairly quickly with many apologies from me to Alice. She brushes me off every time, telling me Lauren is just a bully and needed some sense knocked into it. We both laugh at the unintended pun.

Alice leans in closer to me and whispers in my ear,

"Bella… Do you, do you want me to apply some foundation on your bruise? So you don't get any unwanted attention?"

I look at her and give her a small smile.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that," I reply, relief laced in my voice.

We walked to the bathrooms, and Alice quickly applied the foundation on my skin. It was still a bit raw, so I was wincing from the pressure being applied. Once she was done, we went our separate ways and I headed for biology.

I go straight to my seat as I walk through the doors to my biology class. I'm one of the first students in here and as the class begins to fill, I wait anxiously for Edward. He's one of the last students to enter the room and as he does, he has a frenzied look on his face. I notice him breathe a sigh of relief as he spots me. Our eyes lock, not looking anywhere else as he sits beside me.

"Hey, I heard about that fiasco before English. Are you alright?" he asks me in a hushed voice. I give him a small smile as I nod my head.

"I'm sorry. I can't believe she did that."

His voice is filled with hurt, and I give him a puzzled look.

"Why are you apologizing?" I ask confused.

"After all the shit I said to her at the store. Well, maybe it pissed her off and made her jealous or something? I don't know."

He runs his hand through his hair as he sighs, leaning back into his seat.

"It's okay. She's insane. If it wasn't for Rosalie, I don't know what Lauren would have done to Alice," I reply in a soft, regretful voice.

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine," I mumble as I fidget with the end of my sleeves.

"Hey… it isn't your fault either,"

Edward leans over and places his hand on top of mine, squeezing it. An electric shock shoots up my arms and I tense up at the touch. He removes his hand from mine, entwining his together before placing them in front of him.

"So… are you sitting with us today or what?" he asks playfully, a smirk gracing his beautiful face. I can't seem to stop staring at his lips, causing him to eventually clear his throat.

"Um, well Alice hasn't asked me yet. So. Maybe?" I ask hesitantly.

I look away from him, hiding my blush. He chuckles beside me as he stands up and moves his stool in closer to me.

"So how was the rest of your weekend?" he asks.

I tense up immediately, remembering my fight with Charlie and it leading him to hit me. I don't know how I'm going to explain it to anyone. I can't tell anyone that he hit me. I'd probably get taken away into protective custody or thrown into a foster home, and I really don't want that to happen. He taps me on the shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, it was fine. You know, housework, homework. The usual. How was yours? How'd the stir-fry go?"

I laugh as I realize what I just said. Did I honestly just ask him how the stir-fry went? Why do I always say stupid shit in front of him?

He chuckles and I look over at him. My mouth goes dry and I automatically lick my lips. His eyes dart to my lips, causing my cheeks to flush. I bite my bottom lip as I look up at him through my lashes.

"It was great. Thanks for your help by the way. Esme was pretty shocked when she noticed it was the right packet." I quirk my brow at him and his eyes go wide.

"Oh, I didn't take your credit though or anything. I told her you helped me." He gives me an apologetic smile. This time I'm the one in shock.

"You told your mom about me?" I ask incredulously.

"Is that a crime?" he asks through laughter.

"And she's actually my aunt. My mom passed away when I was ten," He added with a sad look on his face.

Good job, Bella.

"Oh. I'm sorry, that must have been hard for you," I reply softly. I take a deep breath and place my hand over his.

Maybe we aren't as different after all? I don't know what's worse though. Having your mother leave you because of death, or having her leave because she wants too. They're both horrible.

I rest my head on my palm, looking towards the front of the class. Edward reaches towards me with an intrigued expression on his face. He moves my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. As he leans in closer, I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. I can feel his lips close to my ear.

"Why do you have a bruise on your face?" he whispers in my ear.

I move away from him abruptly with a look of alarm covering my face.

"I um, I— it's nothing." The words stumble out of my mouth just as the bell rings.

"Bella. Did someone hit you?" he hisses at me with concern in his voice.

"I said it's nothing!" I growl back at him quietly.

I gather up my things and rush out of the door before he can interrogate me further.

Gym was the same as ever, Alice took control with everything and the times I did get involved, I either harmed someone else or myself. Eventually I gave up, and sat on the bleachers.

Lauren ended up walking into gym with an icepack on her face, and Jessica was sporting a limp and was hunched over because of the blow to her ribs. Alice snickers as she walks over to me.

"You're gonna have to teach me some self defense moves, Bella. I was horrible, but look at what you did to Jessica! She's walking like a demented penguin!" she exclaims with a smile plastered on her face.

I laugh loudly, causing Lauren and Jessica to look over at us. Alice raises her hand and waves to them. Lauren narrows her eyes at her, but puts her head down and sits down on the bleachers next to Jessica

"I didn't know I had it in me either. I just wanted to get her off you. She's insane."

"Oh. That's really kind of you, Bella. Thanks." she says softly as she places her hands on top of mine.

I smile at her as we both stand up and head for the change rooms.

"Hey, Bella?"

I look over at Alice to see her looking at me with a hesitant expression on her face.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to sit with me and my family for lunch today?" she asks in a quiet voice.

I remember the conversation Edward and I had in biology.

"So… are you sitting with us today or what?" he asked me playfully.

I smile to myself at the memory and answer her question.

"Sure, Alice, I'd love to."

Her soft smile transforms into a massive grin. She jumps up, squealing as she runs towards me, pulling me into a hug. I wrap my arms around her and hug her back.

As I keep thinking about my conversation with Edward, my smile turns into a frown as I think about him asking me if someone had hit me. I sigh, pulling away from Alice's embrace and sit back down on the bench.

"Hey what's wrong?" Alice asks as she sits down next to me.

"Edward saw the bruise through the makeup,"

My voice is so quiet I'm not quite sure she even heard me. I look over to her, she gives me an apologetic look.

"He's not stupid, Bella. Edward just notices those kind of things. If you can't talk to me about it, maybe you should just talk to him," she says all too confidently.

I can't talk to Edward about this — I hardly know him. But Alice has become sort of a friend to me.

"It was Charlie…" I confide in her.

"Who's Charlie? Is he your boyfriend?" She asks confused.

"Argh, God no. He's my father," I mumble quietly.

"Are you kidding me? Bella, you have to tell someone!" she whispers frantically.

"He's never hit me before, I swear he hasn't. He was just… Just don't worry about it okay. I'm fine. Please, Alice, you can't tell anyone,"

I begin to panic, my breathing becoming difficult. Alice looks at me with a horrified expression, and crouches in front of me.

"Bella, calm down. I won't tell anyone, I promise. It's alright. Breathe."

I get my breathing under control, and smile apologetically at her.

"So… lunch then, huh?" I chuckle awkwardly, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Come on, let's go!" she exclaims as she pulls on my arm.

We walk through the cafeteria doors, and head over to grab our food. I can hear everyone whispering as they stare at us. I grab an apple, slice of pizza and bottle of water. Alice grabs water and a salad then leads me to her table. I look up and see Edward and Rosalie with two other guys there.

Edward is sitting next to a thin but still well built blonde haired boy. He and Rosalie are obviously twins. Rosalie is sitting next to a huge buff guy with almost black hair who looks so intimidating; he makes me want to turn and run away. He places his arm around the back of her chair, and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. He leans in and kisses her on the cheek, causing a light smile to grace her lips. I look away from them as I blush. I glance at Edward to see he has a smug smirk on his face. God, am I that obvious?

"Hey guys! This is Bella, my new friend."

She walks over to the blonde guy, kissing him on the cheek then sitting in the chair next to him. Leaving me the empty seat next to Edward. I sit down cautiously, making sure I don't drop or spill anything.

"Bella, this is Jasper, my amazing boyfriend," She says as she looks at him. Their eyes lock and he smiles at her.

"Hi Bella, nice to meet you," he says with a hint of a southern accent.

I smile at him then glance over to Rosalie and Emmett.

"You obviously already know Rosalie. The big goof next to her is Emmett. He looks really intimidating, but he's really just a teddy bear."

"Hey now, Alicat. That isn't fair. Just because I have a big heart. doesn't mean I can't fuck someone's shit up if I have too!"

He flexes his muscles with a grin on his face. I laugh causing him to stand up unexpectedly and say,

"Yeah! I made her laugh. She loves me!"

He does a fist pump in the air. Rosalie grabs him by the arm and pulls him back down into his seat.

"Jesus, Emmett. You can be such a child sometimes," She declares in an annoyed voice.

Edward laughs beside me. I glance at him in time to see Emmett lean across the table and hit him. He winces and rubs his arm.

"Fucking hell man. What are you on, steroids?" he exclaims.

"Nah, you're just a weak pussy," Emmett says a matter-of-factly.

Everyone at the table's laughs. I keep myself from laughing as Edward has a pissed off look on his face.

"You shouldn't fucking hit someone for no reason, asshole," He scolds him.

He glances over at me, and I tense up at the remark. It's clearly said for my benefit. I look towards Edward, giving him a pointed look. He quirks his brow at me, and I roll my eyes.

"Edward," Alice calls him pointedly.

She narrows her eyes at him as if to say shut the hell up right now. Realization crosses his face, and he looks between me and Alice. I look at Alice with a panicked expression. She shakes her head slightly, reassuring me that he won't push the subject any further.

"You guys are fucking weird," Emmett says as he chuckles. Rosalie whacks him on the back of the head, causing him to actually wince.

"Owe. What was that for?" he cries at her.

She rolls her eyes.

"For being such an asshole," She says in an annoyed voice.

"Who's the pussy now? Getting beat up by a girl," Edward snickers at him.

"Fuck you. I'd like to see you take one of her hits," He whines.

"Yeah, I'd hate to know how Lauren's face is feeling right now," I chime in. Everyone laughs.

"Yeah that's my baby!" Emmett hollers.

Rosalie shakes her head, but I notice a smile playing at the corners of her lips. I glance at Alice to see her looking at me with a huge grin on her face.

The rest of the week at school went the same. Alice and I didn't have any more problems with Lauren. I talked casually with Edward in biology, constantly laughing and having a good time with him until he would eventually bring up something that related to my bruise. I kept changing the subject. I was beginning to become really annoyed with him because he kept pushing me about it when I obviously didn't want to talk about it.

Lunch was really good. Emmett is really funny and Jasper is a complete sweetheart. He's so considerate, and there's something about him that calms me and puts me at ease. Rosalie has been okay. She doesn't talk to me much, and Edward says not to worry about it because she's a bitch. But she helped me and Alice with Lauren, so I just can't seem to believe that she's a horrible person. That was until Friday came along…

We were sitting outside for lunch because it was a rare sunny day in Forks. Alice was leaning up against Jasper on the ground, Emmett and Rosalie were mucking around and Edward and I were playing memory with a deck of cards until Rosalie spoke to me.

"So Bella, what happened to your face? You never actually told us what happened,"

Everyone's eyes went on me and I immediately tensed up from the attention. I looked at Alice with a lost expression on my face. She shook her shoulders, and glanced between me and Rosalie.

"Um, I uh… I hit it on the corner of my bench when I was cleaning," I stammer the words out in a nervous rush. She quirks her brow at me as she sits up.

"Bullshit. Give me the truth. There's nothing I hate more than being lied to," She says in annoyed tone.

"Rose," Alice says in a stern voice.

"Stop bullying her. It has nothing to do with you," Rosalie looks at Alice incredulously as if she just grew a second head.

"I saved both your sorry asses and this is how you repay me?" She yells as she stands up.

"That has nothing to do with this situation Rosalie and you know it!" Alice yells back.

"Fuck you, Alice!" She steps towards Alice.

My feet move me before I even know what they're doing, and I stand in between them.

"Guys stop. Please. It's nothing. It doesn't even matter, it's just a bruise! Please, just stop!"

I cry as the tears well up in my eyes. I don't want them to fight because of me. All I ever do is cause problems for everyone. That's why I didn't want to give in to Alice in the first place.

Rosalie looks towards me giving me the biggest glare I've ever seen in my life. I swallow back the lump that has formed in my throat as the saying 'if looks could kill' comes into my mind.

"Shut. Up," Rosalie growls through her teeth.

"All you've done for me, is steal my best friend! Alice and I used to do everything and tell each other everything before you came along. Now she hardly even talks to me anymore!"

I step backwards as the verbal words hit me. This is exactly what I was afraid of. The tears finally spill over from my eyes.

"Rose…Why didn't you talk to me instead of attacking her?" Alice asks her in a cautious voice.

Rosalie glares at Alice, causing her eyes to go wide.

"Did you not just hear what I said, Alice? You don't talk to me anymore!" she yells, spitting the words in her face.

I can't take the confrontation anymore.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper before turning and running away towards the lining of the forest near the car park.

I fall over as I'm running. I don't bother to get up. I sit there with tears streaming down my face. Why does this always have to happen to me! I can't do anything right. I'm just a useless waste of space who rips everyone else apart. It happened to my parents and now it's happening to Alice and Rosalie.

"What the hell is wrong with me!"

I sob aloud through my tears. I hear footsteps approaching behind me and immediately tense up. Alice crouches down onto her knees and pulls me into a hug.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Bella. Rose just isn't used to me having two best friends," She whispers softly as she rubs my back. I take a deep breath as I pull away from her.

"Best friend?" I ask her hesitantly. She smiles at me, wiping away the tears from my cheeks.

"Bella. I don't know how to explain it, but when I meet people I sense something about them. When I met you I sensed that we were meant to become friends. I know I was really pushy in the beginning and I'm sorry for that. But I'm so glad we're friends now. You're not like anyone I've ever met. You have such a beautiful soul and I don't want you to listen to anything Rosalie says. You aren't a burden, she's just jealous and once she calms down and realizes I'm still her best friend too, she'll come to her senses and apologize to you. Please don't think any of this is your fault. You can trust me. If you need to talk or just need a friend, I'll be here for you. For anything. I know you have some stuff going on in your life and I'll let you confide in me when you're ready,"

I sit there in shock. No one has ever said anything that sweet or generous to me before. I look her in the eyes and see that she's one hundred percent genuine. I smile at her before I envelop her in a hug. She hugs me back, and I can feel her chest vibrating with laughter. I pull away from her and begin to play with the hem of my shirt.

"That really means a lot to me, Alice. No one has ever been as nice to me like you've been. And I don't want to seem rude, but I really just want to go home now," I utter through a sigh.

"I'll drive you home," Says a soft delicate voice I would recognize anywhere.

I turn to see Edward looking down at us. He gives me a soft smile, extending his hand out to me. I take it and he pulls me up off the ground.

"You okay?" he asks, concern clear in his voice.

I nod my head and wrap my arms around myself.

"I just want to go home. It's not too much trouble, is it? I'd drive myself, but I honestly don't feel like I'm in the right state of mind,"

"Nah, it's cool," He replies. I walk back to Alice and give her one last hug.

"Thank you," I whisper so only she can hear. She squeezes me tightly before releasing me.

"We'll have to hang out, outside of school soon, Bella! Just let me know when you're free," She says with a smile on her lips.

"Yeah, definitely," I reply before she dances off towards the school.

Edward and I head towards the parking lot. He unlocks his car doors with the automated car key. He walks around to the passenger side. I give him a puzzled expression before he opens the car door for me. I smile sheepishly at him as I climb into the car. He smiles his crooked smile as he gets into the driver's side and turns on the ignition.

CAT FIGHTTTTT! :O Oh, dear. High school is just drama, drama, drama... Thankyou so much for reading and supporting me! Please, drop off a review and let me know your thoughts! Jenndur. My Beta, my friend, my girl who listens to my rants about everything and nothing. Thankyou for everything, i love you!

-Natalee-x