You need to release
What you're feeling inside
Let out the beast
That you're trying to hide
Step right up and be a part of the action
Get your game face on
Because it's time to play
You're pushing and fighting your way
Violence Fetish- Disturbed
(~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~)
The now quiet room had become suffocating. An icy grip of palpable tension settled over Edward, causing him to shift in unease when Sam and Jared moved to block the front door. They stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the closest escape Edward had. For that, he mentally cursed them. Outwardly, Edward appeared as pompous as ever, complete with an infuriating smirk on his lips.
Embry stood, braced against the power house that was the ticking time bomb known simply as Paul. He grit his teeth as Paul lunged again at the copper headed idiot while trying to see down the hallway Bella and Angela had escaped to. He missed the taunting sneer from Edward, however, he did notice the fire dancing uncontained in Paul's eyes. His friend was out for blood.
"Don't waste your time on her. She's certifiably insane and stands to lose her entire reputation- not to mention the money you're so obviously panting after- if she doesn't marry me now. After all, once I let it be known she was unsupervised with four men in her home doing heaven knows what… well.. The press would have a field day. Besides, who would want a crazy whore anyway? You're stupid if you think she'd learn to love you."
"Either he's got balls of steel-" Jared started.
"Or he's scared shitless and buying time he doesn't have." Sam interjected cracking his knuckles.
"You want to repeat that last part one more time?" Paul all but growled.
He could care less about the other insults- especially the one about him being after her money. What he couldn't tolerate- wouldn't tolerate- was Edward insisting Bella was anything less than sweet and innocent. Izzy- not so much. She was still innocent in SOME ways, but Izzy was definitely the more outgoing on the two personalities.
Edward smirked with amusement. "What part did your simple brain not understand? The fact that she's crazy? Or the fact that she's a whore? One is just as bad as the other as far as I'm concerned."
Embry grunted in an effort to hold Paul back when he lunged for a third time. "I'd shut my mouth if I were you, dumb fuck." He huffed, noting Sam was holding Jared back as well.
Edward scoffed until he realized how bad the situation had turned. Paul merely smirked when he saw the realization cross in his eyes. Sometimes he loved it when he got to use the way he looked to intimidate rich white boys who thought money could buy them whatever they wanted. He was willing to bet Edward had been taught to fight, but COULD he fight- well… hitting a punching bag was completely different than hitting a living, breathing person.
"You owe Bella one hell of an apology. Not only for calling her crazy, but a whore too. The woman down the hall is ten times more of a human being than you will EVER know." Paul growled.
"Like I would apologize for telling the truth. What are you going to do, hit me? My father would have you thrown in jail faster than you could spell bond." He sneered.
Paul snorted. "As if you'd be breathing when I'm done with you, fucker."
"Paul, come on. He's trying to goad you. You're still in Bella's house, do you really want to do this now?" Embry huffed.
"Fuck that, Em! Let him go. I want to see the show!" Jared crowed with a grin.
"Not helping, Jay." Embry growled. Sam only rolled his eyes.
"How sweet, your little boyfriend is worried. Though, I'm amazed you're so open about it. I thought you wanted Bella in your bed. Here I find that she's so easily replaced by a man… a boy, I should say by the looks of him. What is he, 12?" Edward goaded.
"Oh HELL no. have the fuck at him, Paul." Embry hissed moving away.
It was the last thing said before Paul's fist met Edward's nose. A sickening crunch was heard before Edward's screams filled the room. Embry merely smirked.
"I thought he said Paul was the gay one…" Jared mused.
"Must be covering." Sam shrugged.
Paul smirked. "Probably." He said before throwing a right hook, knocking Edward to the ground again.
Edward was quick to stand and take a swing connecting his fist to Paul's rib cage. He was sure of the placement, but quickly began to panic when Paul only arched an eyebrow.
"What the FUCK was that? You call THAT a hit? Jared's MOTHER hits harder than that!" Paul snorted.
Edward took note of their distraction and grabbed a hold of his keys. Placing one between his middle and ring fingers, he threw another punch to Paul's ribs. He smirked when Paul hissed in unexpected pain. When his hand was drawn back, he noted with some satisfaction that there was blood on the end of the key.
All hell broke loose after that. Sam and Jared were quick to jump to Paul's aide, holding Edward's arms as Paul took swing after swing to his chest and stomach. Before long, Edward was a mass of bruised flesh and bones curled up in a fetal position on Bella's floor. Paul took some sick satisfaction in the whimpers and sobs escaping the man's lips.
(~_~_~_~_~)
Embry neglected to say anything and made his way down the hall to check on Bella. The sounds of flesh connecting to flesh were drowned out- thankfully- by the door after it was closed. Given any other situation, he probably would have been thrilled to be in a bedroom with two older women, but this, this was entirely different.
"How is she?" He asked Angela.
Angela smiled. "He really upset her, and everything he said afterwards hit a little close to home too."
"Izzy?"
Bella shook her head. "I don't want to spend my weekend in a jail cell. Oh no.. if anything happens, Paul with go to jail!"
"Bella, hey, it's ok. They won't be able to prove anything. Paul will be careful."
Angela shushed them. "Hey, listen, it's quiet."
A knock on the door prompted Angela to open it marginally and peer through the crack. She sighed when she saw Jared and allowed him to come in a few short seconds later. They kissed briefly before Jared let out a deep sigh.
"How are you Bella?" Jared finally asked.
Bella smiled weakly and only nodded. She didn't know Jared like Izzy did. And even Izzy didn't know him THAT well. "I've survived worse, I suppose."
Jared nodded. "Embry, Sam needs your help. Angela, Paul asked if he could talk to Bella alone. He wants to make sure she's alright."
Angela bit her lip. When Bella only nodded at her unasked question, she sighed. She made her way back to Bella and hugged her tightly. "Stay strong. You call me if you need me. You OR Izzy." She whispered before following Jared, Sam and Embry out the front door.
It was a few minutes later when Bella emerged from the safety of her room. She found Paul wiping up something red on the floor and quickly deducted that it was Edward's blood. She shuddered and turned her head.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper, Bella." Paul said quietly. He cooed as if speaking to a wounded, frightened animal.
In some ways, Bella felt like one.
'Talk to him! He needs to know you're not scared of him! Wait, you're NOT scared of him… right?' Leave it to Izzy to throw reality in her face.
She made her way back down the hall to the bathroom and grabbed a box of bandages. She smiled at Paul when she walked back into the living room and sat on the couch. "Come sit with me, Paul. Let me see your hands."
Paul let out a chuckle. "I'll be fine Bella. I'm more concerned about you. He said some pretty awful things. Things that aren't true at all." He added. He sat beside her none the less though trying to hid his grin.
"I'll be fine, Paul. It hurt, but Embry said you defended me. That means a lot to me. So, thank you." She said, her eyes not leaving the scratches on his knuckles.
She gasped when she saw the blood stain on his shirt over his ribs. "What happened?"
He shrugged. "He tried to fight dirty. It's alright. It's not too deep."
"Well, take your shirt off and let me make sure." She demanded, not realizing what she had just ordered him to do. Even Izzy was quiet, though she was failing miserably at hiding her amusement.
"Trying to get me naked already? Doesn't that go against your rules?" He teased.
Bella's cheeks were instantly stained red with a blush while Izzy howled in laughter. "I- I… just…I.. well… just let me see your wound!" She finally huffed.
"Relax, Bella. I was teasing. I promise." He said before making a show of lifting his shirt from his torso slowly. Izzy groaned as each of his muscles was revealed. Even Bella had to fight down the urge to drink in the gorgeous sight in front of her.
"It's ok to look, you know." He mused.
Bella rolled her eyes. "I know that." She huffed, taking some satisfaction in the hiss that escaped his lips as she cleaned his wound.
"Hey, Bella… come here." He said, finally taking her hands in his when he noticed the lone tear. "What's the matter?" He gently brushed away the tear and pulled her gently closer to him so that she was almost sitting in his lap.
"You're the first person in a long time to stand up for me that way.. If he tells his father, you're looking at a possible jail sentence. I don't want that to happen." She told him.
Paul shook his head. "Hey, don't worry. He won't. And if he does tell his father, well… he'd have to admit that he attacked me. I have the wounds to prove it." He said. "I can claim self defense and tell them that he walked out of your house after I threw the first punch. Sam, Jared and I already talked about it. They were going to fill Embry and Angela in too on the way to Sam's shop."
Bella sighed and leaned in closer to him, using his shoulder as a place to rest her head. "I just.. Izzy seems to really like you, and… you defended me so easily.. I really want to trust you, Paul. I'm beginning to see just why Izzy is so drawn to you." She said with a shy smile.
Paul smiled and shook his head. His fingers threaded through her hair before his hand came to rest on the back of her neck. He searched her eyes before tilting his head slowly towards hers, giving her plenty of time to back out if she really wanted to. When she made no move to turn him away, he pressed his luck and laid a gentle kiss to her lips. It was over before it started, but in that moment, Bella began to fall for him in much the same way Izzy was.
The only thing she could think of was how pissed off her mother was going to be when she realized that her perfect daughter wasn't so perfect after all.