Chapter Eleven - (Aftermath)

BPOV

His eyes are filled with hatred as he stares at me.

"You're going to screw everything up with that boy."

I try to speak to defend myself, but I can't. My voice won't work.

"You always ruin everything you touch."

I try to step backwards and put some distance between us, but I can't. I'm frozen to the spot.

"You're worthless and no one will ever love you."

He stalks towards me with his fists clenched at his sides.

"And if someone does love you, you'll just hurt them and then they'll leave you."

The words sting me as if they're filled with venom.

"I hate you."

He lifts his fist up and pulls it back. It comes flying towards my face at the speed of light.

I jolt up right, gasping for breath as the tears stream down my face. I wrap my arms around my legs and hug myself. I hear Alice's door opening and look around, only just noticing that she isn't here. She walks through the door, holding two coffees. She takes in my appearance and smiles at me sadly. She walks over to the bedside table and places the cups down. She sits down on the side of her bed and strokes my arm.

"How are you feeling?" she asks me in concern.

"I'm alright. Just a nightmare." I reach out and grab the cup of coffee, taking a small sip.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I might as well just tell her what's going on. I don't have to tell her everything about Mom. I can just tell her about the nightmare and how Charlie treats me. If she starts asking more questions that relate to why he treats me the way he does, I'll just avoid them or tell her I don't want to go that far into details. I glance at her and can see the patience and worry in her eyes.

"It was just about Charlie," I confess. "He was just saying some horrible things. And it was like I was frozen to the spot and I had no voice. I couldn't defend myself. He said he hated me. And then he, he hit me again. That's when I woke up." The tears stream down my face as I remember the dream and the way Charlie has treated me over the years. Never in my life has he hit me before a few weeks ago.

"Oh, Bella. I'm sure he doesn't hate you. It was just a dream." She scrambles up onto the bed and embraces me in a hug.

"But he does. I know he does. He treats me like I'm his housekeeper, not his daughter. He always says such horrible things to me. I don't know what to do, Alice. I don't think I can take it anymore. He's never hit me before. Ever. Until the other week. He's getting out of control. He's always drinking. He's the Chief of Police for Christ sake and he's always drunk!"

I begin to sob uncontrollably, letting the pain overtake me. She strokes my back and shushes me in my ear.

"I don't know what to say, Bella. That sounds so horrible. Just, I don't know. If you ever feel scared or alone. You can come and stay over here anytime. Mum and Dad wouldn't mind."

She leans away from me and smiles as she pats me on the head. There's a knock on the door, then Edward pops his head in. His eyes skim over me and I can see the concern in his eyes. God, he's almost as bad as Alice. I smile at him to let him know that I'm fine. He grins back and steps into the room.

"Morning, ladies."

His voice is husky from sleep. It sounds so sexy. I look him up and down. His hair is disheveled, pointing in all different directions. How can a God like Edward want to be with someone like me? My eyes meet his and I get lost in them. His lips turn up into his crooked grin, causing me to blush and look away.

"Hey," I greet him in a quiet voice.

"Um, I really need to have a shower. So." I pull the covers back and begin to get out of the bed. Alice realizes what I'm doing and jumps up too.

"Oh, yeah! I'll grab you a spare set of clothes."

Alice runs out of the room, leaving me and Edward alone.

"How long have you been standing there?" I ask him in a quiet voice. I'm so freaked out about him hearing what Charlie did to me. I don't need him freaking out on me like Alice did. I look down at the ground when I feel the tears welling up in my eyes.

"Long enough."

"Please don't say anything, Edward. He's never hit me before. I'll work something out. But, please don't tell anyone."

Tears start to fall down my face. I wipe them away roughly trying to get control of myself. Edward walks towards me and wraps his arms around me.

"I won't tell anyone, love. I promise."

I wind my arms around his back and hold on to him tightly. I feel his lips connect with the top of my head. I smile to myself and sigh contently.

"How did you sleep? Apart from the obvious nightmare?" he asks.

I step out of his embrace and wrap my arms around myself. I just want to forget about everything that happened last night. I don't want to relive it. "As good as I could get. What about you?"

"About the same."

He strokes my cheek and cups my chin, forcing me to look at him. I hold back my tears and take another deep breath just as Alice walks back into the room.

"I got some clothes off Esme. They should fit you. I'll leave them on the bed."

I turn to Alice and smile at her thankfully. I walk into the bathroom, and Edward is still standing there as I close the door.

"Come on, Edward. Give her some privacy."

I feel my cheeks heat up as I think about Edward waiting out in Alice's room, listening to me shower. I can't explain the way Edward makes me feel — I've never felt this way about anyone before. I've never met anyone like him. He's so kind and compassionate. The way he looks at me, I've never seen anyone look at me like that before. I can't believe that I'm dating someone as beautiful as him.

I hop into the shower and wash myself quickly. I turn around and let the hot water run down my back, loosening my muscles. I wash my face away of the dried salty tears. Once I'm done, I wrap the towel around me and walk out into Alice's room. I change quickly, just in case someone comes in.

I tie my hair into a side plat as I walk down the stairs. I walk into the living room and everyone greets me with smiles. I go and sit next to Edward and cuddle into his chest. He strokes my arms and kisses me on the top of my head again. He leans down and I can feel his breath on my neck before he whispers in my ear, "I can tell you've got a lot of stuff going on, and I'll let you tell me about it when you're ready, if you want to. I just want you to know I'm always here if you need to talk about anything."

"Thanks," I whisper back. I turn my head and press my lips to his cheek.

How is it, for some reason, he can tell that I've been through a lot and still want to stick by me? He makes me want to tell him all of my secrets and deepest fears. It's like he gets me without me even having to tell him anything. Every day I'm with him, I can feel my walls coming down. I've started to become so comfortable around him and Alice, like its second nature or something. Never in my life did I ever think I would be this comfortable around people again, let alone cuddle up into a boy's chest.

Whenever I'm with anybody else, it sometimes gets so hard to be myself, but I feel so different whenever I'm with Edward. Especially when he looks at me the way he's looking at me now. Every time he looks at me with that glimmer in his eyes, it makes my heart race like a hummingbird's wings. Every moment I spend with him, feels like its bringing me back to life. My life always felt so dark as though I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, but now it feels so much easier to deal with.

I know I still have Charlie to deal with, and I still have my trust issues, but I'm actually beginning to feel happy again. Alice is a big part of that too. She's such a great friend and always has my back. I glance over at her and see that she's watching me and Edward with a soft smile on her face. I smile at her sheepishly as the blush runs into my cheeks. I haven't felt this content in a long time.

"Alright, who wants lunch? I'm starving." I look up and see Emmett standing up. He grins at me and waggles his eyebrows. I laugh along with everyone else.

"You're always starving, Em." Edward rolls his eyes and shakes his head at his brother.

"Man's gotta eat, man."

"Yeah, but you're more like a baboon."

"Shut up, Ed! I am not."

I glance behind Emmett and see Rosalie walking up behind him. She whacks him on the back of the head and quirks her brow at him.

"Ow! What was that for?"

He rubs the back of his head at the same time she rolls her eyes at him.

"For being such a child. Honestly, babe. Sometimes I think you're a nine year old, not a nineteen year old."

He pouts his lips and begins to make puppy dog eyes at her before he pulls her into his arms and kisses her passionately.

"Yeah, but you still love me."

Rosalie beams up at him as he looks into her eyes with so much love it makes me want to look away.

"That I do. But you can get your own lunch. None of us are your slaves."

"Aww, baby! Why you gotta ruin all the fun?"

He turns around, heading into the kitchen. She follows behind him, as do Alice and Jasper. I go to get up as well, but Edward pulls me back down. He laughs at my confused expression and grins at me.

"What are you doing? Don't you want lunch?" I ask him.

He shakes his head and strokes my face with the back of his hand.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are? You're nothing like any girl I've ever met. They're all so superficial and cake on their make-up. Thinking it makes them look beautiful, but real beauty is natural beauty. I'm so glad you're nothing like them, Bella."

I'm lost for words. No one has ever said anything so sweet to me before. The butterflies are zooming around in my stomach. He smiles at me as he lifts my hand to his face and plants a soft kiss in my palm.

I smile at him as he runs his hands through my hair and pulls my face closer to his. I close my eyes as his lips press softly against mine. His hand travels to the nape of my neck as I run my hands up his chest into the back of his hair. His tongue runs along my bottom lip, willing me to open for him. I oblige and his tongue darts into my mouth. I don't know what's overcome me and where this confidence comes from, but I straddle him as he begins to kiss me slowly and sensually. How long we kiss for, is lost on me. We eventually break away from each other. I rest my forehead against his as I catch my breath. I bring my fingers up to my lips. I can't believe he kissed me. And like that. Man, he's an awesome kisser.

He cups my face in his hands and pulls my face away from him. I pout at him, causing him to lean in and peck me on the lips softly.

"How was that for our first kiss?" he jokes.

"Amazing." I grin at him and wrap my arms around his neck.

"You know how you said you sing?" he asks, running his fingers along my neck and across my collarbone. It's really distracting.

"Mmm," I mumble incoherently.

"Well, I was wondering if you would sing for me, while I played the piano."

My eyes snap open, looking down at him. Is he serious? He looks at me expectantly, waiting for my answer. I've never sang in front of anyone except for my mother, and the last time I did that was when I was twelve.

"Um, I don't even know if I can sing anymore."

"I'm sure you can. A gift like that doesn't just disappear." he looks at me with eager eyes. I bite my bottom lip, unable to think of what to do. He seems to really want to do this. "Alright then."

He grins up at me and all I can do is grin back. He entwines his hand through mine and pulls me off the couch, leading us back towards the stairs. He walks over to his piano and lifts up the case, running his hand softly along the keys. He sits down, looks over at me and then pats the seat with a huge smile on his face. His eyes are shining with excitement. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat and walk over and sit beside him.

"What do you want to sing?"

"What can you play?"

"Pretty much about anything."

I laugh as I run through all the options in my brain. There's one song I've been listening too and singing to myself a lot lately. It's on Sia's new album Edward got me, and a lot of the lyrics relate to how I felt when my mom left, though the song is about a woman and a man.

"Alright, you know how you snuck in Sia's new CD that day?"

"Yeah," he says through a chuckle.

"Well there's this song on there called 'I Go to Sleep.' Have you heard it?"

He smiles at me before turning around and pressing his hands down on the keys. I watch as his fingers float effortlessly throughout the keys as the melody fills the room. He was right about the piano music in her songs, this melody is amazing. I take a small breath before I begin to sing the first line and then the chorus. My voice is huskier than I remember, kind of similar to Sia's voice herself. I start the second verse before heading straight into the chorus again.

"I look around me

And feel you are ever so, close, to me.

Each tear that flows from my eye,

Brings back memories of you, to me,

I go to sleep,

And imagine that you're there with me.

I go to sleep,

And imagine that you're there with me,"

I take a quick glance at Edward as I continue to sing. He's completely lost in the music, I'm not even sure if he can even hear me singing. He feels my gaze on him and looks up at me and smiles without missing a beat of the melody. I've never seen anyone play the piano like him before. I keep my eyes on his as I continue onto the end of the song.

"When morning comes again,

I have the loneliness you, left me.

Each day drags by

Until finally my time descends, on me,"

The emotions of the song begin to get to me. I haven't really let my feelings go this bad when I sing this song because of how it causes the pain in my chest to escalate to a million times worse. Every time I would start to feel that pain in my chest, I would stop singing and change the song. I know my mother may have abandoned me, but that doesn't mean I don't miss her every day. I close my eyes as a tear slips down my cheek as I finish the last line of the song. Edward stops playing abruptly and cups my face in his hands.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm alright, just an emotional song."

I give him a smile to reassure him that I'm fine. I can still see the concern in his eyes. I place my hands over his and lean in closer to him. I press my lips to his and kiss him softly. I can feel him smile against my lips, causing me to smile too. Someone clears their throat. I turn my head and find the culprit is Emmett with a big grin on his face.

"Was that you singing? It had to be you. I know Edward's a girl sometimes, but I know he doesn't sing like a girl, and even if he did no way would he sound that good."

He flashes me a grin and I blush at the compliment.

"Shut up, Emmett. At least I can hold a tune," Edward scolds him. His eyes narrow, but it doesn't seem to faze Emmett. He flips Edward the bird before looking back at me.

"You should like, have a mini concert for the family or something. Jazz plays the drums and guitar, and Ali can play the guitar and sing too. And of course, this dickhead can do all of that as well, the show off."

I laugh at Emmett's playful banter. He's the kind of person I would wish for a big brother. Someone who looks super intimidating and can kick someone's ass for you, but they're also really kind and playful.

"Emmett, shut up. God, this is the first time she's even sang, give her a break."

I turn my body so I'm straddling Edward on the seat. I wrap my hands around his neck and look into his eyes. He smiles at me and plants a kiss on my forehead.

"Edward, I wouldn't mind doing that one day. It might help with my confidence issues–"

"BOO-YAH, I WIN!"

I almost fall off of Edward's lap after Emmett's outburst. I look up to see him fist pumping the air and jumping around like a lunatic. I can feel Edward's chest vibrating with laughter and I join in. I look up at the clock on the wall and notice the time.

"I should probably get home."

Both of them stop laughing abruptly and look at me with concern and shock on their faces. I feel my features turn into a puzzled look, but then realize they're probably worried about what happened last night. Especially Edward now that he knows it was Charlie who hit me. But I can't hide at the Cullen's and avoid Charlie forever. He's probably already forgotten about it anyway because of all the alcohol he consumes. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't gotten liver failure yet.

"Are you sure? You can stay here again tonight," Edward asks hesitantly. I give him a reassuring smile as I climb out of his lap.

"I don't have any more clothes, and I can't keep borrowing Esme's. I'll be fine. Really." I lean down and kiss him on the lips before pulling him up off the seat. "C'mon, I'll go say goodbye to everyone now."

I say my goodbyes to everyone and promise Alice we'll hang out again soon as I'm hugging her. Jasper hugs me and tells me I'm welcome here anytime. Emmett lifts me up and spins me around, placing me back on the ground with a grin on his face.

"Don't be a stranger," he demands.

Rosalie gives me a small smile, which surprises me. Maybe she's just being polite to appease everyone else? I smile back at her anyway, just in case. I don't want her to hate me anymore than she does. Edward entwines his hand through mine and leads me out to the car. The drive home goes surprisingly fast and before I know it, we're in my driveway.

Charlie's police cruiser is in the driveway and I automatically tense up. Edward squeezes my hand before he releases it and rubs my back soothingly. He gets out of the car and walks around to let me out. He walks me up to my door and lingers there for a while watching me intently.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay at mine, babe? You can go grab some stuff and just come back."

Babe? I could get used to this.

"No, it's alright. I can't avoid him forever. And he's probably already passed out. I'll be fine. But thanks, I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"You want me to pick you up?"

"Um, yeah okay. Sure, thanks."

I didn't take notice of him closing the distance between us until I take in his proximity now. I smile at him as his hand travels to the nape of my neck and his other brushes a strand of hair out of my face and tucks it behind my ear. He leans in closer and kisses me softly. I wrap my arms around his neck as his hands slide down my back hold me closer to him. I smile against his lips before he pulls away. I peck him on the lips before separating from him and walking into my front door.

I walk into the living room and notice there's no Charlie. He must have actually made it to his room for once. I glance out the window to see Edward driving away. A weird feeling pains me in my chest. I know then that the closer I get to Edward, the more it's going to hurt to be separated from him. I wrap my arms around my chest as the air suddenly gets chillier. I walk up stairs and get a start on my homework. I work on it for about an hour before getting sick of it and head into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I stop in my tracks as I take in the state of the bathroom. The basin is filthy; Dad's facial hair is everywhere from when he's shaved. There is a faint layer of dirt over everything and a bloody tissue in the middle of the sink. Probably from Charlie's current nose bleeds. I grab the cleaning products from out of the bottom cupboard and scrub everything down.

When I'm done, I brush my teeth and change into my pajamas. I climb into my bed and stare up at the ceiling. I won't let Charlie get me down anymore. I won't listen to his accusations and abuse. And if he hits me again, I will report him. From now on, I'm going to really try and be happy.

Now that I have Edward, Alice and the rest of the Cullens in my life, doesn't seem that difficult to be happy anymore.

Sorry it's late guys, I've been going bonkers lately and i had a stressful week! I completely lost track of the date, and forgot to remind Jenn that i needed the chapter... But god, love her. She sent it to me as soon as she could, bless her! I'm about to go sign up for Soccer with my Sister. Yay for fitness and exercise, lol! I hope you enjoyed the little singing performance :P Let me know what you think in a review xo

-Natalee-x