Chapter 7

What would you do,
To get to me?
What would you say,
To have your way?
Would you give up,
Or try again?
~Try again- Aaliyah

The school week ended quickly and soon the final bell rang, dismissing Bella's class. She was grateful that the weekend was upon them, as she needed to do some shopping and wanted to relax. As she slipped into her jacket, Alice and Demetri entered her classroom, already packed up and ready to leave. "Hey guys. What's going on?" Bella grabbed her bag and umbrella then walked to where they stood near the door.

Alice clasped her hands together, rustling her latest fashionable attire. Today she sported a red and white polka dot dress that stopped at her knees. Her hair was pushed back by a red headband and red pumps adorned her feet. Not a practical outfit for an art teacher, but Bella knew why the woman dressed the way she did. "Demetri has invited a few of us to Victoria's Tavern." Victoria's Tavern happened to be one of the most popular bars in the small town. Their food was great, the atmosphere was cozy and they recently put in a dance floor with strobe lights that attracted a younger crowd.

"A few of us?" Bella asked while motioning them to exit the room. She flicked off the lights, then closed the door to her classroom. "Who is going?"

The teachers began to walk down the hall, towards the parking lot. "Well it'll be us, Max and Corin from the history department and Julia, the school nurse." Alice answered, looking to Demetri for clarification.

"Yeah. They seem really nice. We teachers need to bond." Demetri flashed a smile at both women, then held the door open for them as they exited the school. "So does it sound like a good idea?"

Bella was going to turn down the offer as the only teacher she socialized with was Alice, but the woman sent her a pleading look, and it reminded her of Renesmee so she reluctantly accepted the invitation.

"Oh good!" Alice hugged Bella briefly. "You can be my designated driver."

Bella rolled her eyes then bid the pair an adieu as she left to pick up her daughter. Since she was going to be spending the evening with her colleagues from work, she needed a babysitter. She ended up calling her father to ask if he was free. Luckily he had no plans for the evening and would be willing to watch Renesmee. When Bella reached her home, their new puppy was very excited and barked happily upon their entry. Bella closed the door quickly as she didn't want Caius to hear the noise.

"So Renesmee, have you come up with a name for him?"

Renesmee squatted so she was able to pet the dog easier. "Can we call him Midnight?"

Bella liked the name as the dog's coat was as dark as the midnight sky. "Midnight it is." Bella had planned on buying the dog some decent food that weekend as she was sure he was tired of eating chicken and peanut butter. "What's that smell?" Bella followed her nose into the kitchen and found a small mound of dog poo waiting for her near the stove. She sighed and peered out of the kitchen at the dog, laying on his back while Renesmee played with him his fur. "We should've gotten a cat instead." she grumbled, then set about the task of cleaning up the dog's mess.

Charlie arrived at the apartment around half past seven in the evening, and Bella gave him a brief hug as he entered. "I made a chicken pot pie. It's on the stove, and should still be warm. Renesmee has been fed, so help yourself to it." Bella slipped on her shoes, and grabbed her jacket. "Oh and we recently got a dog."

As if to prove it's existence, Midnight came running down the hall and barked at Charlie excitedly. Midnight was a very friendly dog and seemed to take to meeting new people. "Well isn't he cute?" Charlie pet Midnight's head and his tail wagged merrily. "What's his name?"

"Midnight." Bella replied simply.

"I like it." Charlie watched Midnight run back towards Renesmee's room and smiled. "Dogs are great. I'm glad you got one. But I thought this apartment didn't allow pets."

Bella shrugged and grabbed her house keys. "Try to keep him from barking too loudly ok?"

Charlie laughed and patted his daughter on the shoulder as he passed her on his way to Renesmee's room. "Have fun Bells."

Bella half waved, then headed downstairs to meet Alice. She barely got out a knock before Alice was ripping open the door. The woman had changed her clothes from earlier, but kept her red pumps. Ditching her polka dot dress for a sleek, black, cocktail dress she had also spiked her hair up into a mohawk. "Wow Alice, you look great."

Alice flashed her pearly whites and placed a hand on her hip. "I try." She looked Bella up and down and her smile fell. "What are you wearing?"

Bella glanced down at her dark colored jeans and since she hadn't zipped up her jacket, her button up maroon shirt was visible. "What? This looks nice right?"

Alice sighed dramatically. "Bella, I love you but you wouldn't know fashion if Armani himself dressed you." She grabbed her purse and followed Bella out of the apartment. "We have to go shopping together soon. I will show you where to buy the finest clothes."

"Alice, I like my clothes." Bella assured her. "Don't worry about me."

It took a while to reach Victoria's Tavern because the rain turned heavy and Alice had to drive the speed limit, much to her chagrin. It was nearly eight by the time they made it to their destination and had parked in the crowded lot. Alice checked her hair and makeup in her compact mirror to make sure nothing had smeared and was satisfied with what she saw. "Let's head inside, he texted me and told me that everyone is here except for Corin."

They walked inside of the tavern and were immediately assaulted with the smell of booze and chicken wings. The large tavern was filled with people. Many had occupied the tables and booths, but there were also a few people cutting loose on the dance floor. Loud music reigned throughout the building and Bella's senses were going into overload. While her ear adjusted to the volume of the music, her nose felt abused with the heavy stench of alcohol. Alice didn't seem to be deterred and nudged Bella, when she spotted their co workers sitting in a circular booth over in the corner. When the pair made their way over, Demetri greeted them pleasantly.

"Hey Alice, Bella." He scooted over to make room and Alice quickly sat next to him, followed by Bella. Max sat on the other side of Demetri with the school nurse, Julia.

"This is nice, we should do this more often." Alice suggested, scooting closer to Demetri.

"That's what I'm saying!" Max chimed in. "This is a great way to vent and relax. Anyone got some crazy stories?"

Julia snorted, looking down at her glass of whiskey. "They can be demons." she grunted. "Do you know, a couple of 'em pretended to be sick just so that they could have sex in the back room?" Julia chugged down the rest of her beverage and looked forlorn that it was empty. "I'm going to us some drinks." She left the booth and headed over to the bar.

"Poor Julia." Demetri commented. "I feel bad for her."

"Why?" Alice asked confused.

Demetri didn't have to respond, Max jumped in. "She's getting a divorce."

"That's so sad." Bella murmured. The four of them all turned their gazes to the middle age woman as she ordered them drinks. She was older than all of them as she was well into her 40's and everyone else was under 30.

Max noticed that she was having issues with the drinks and left the booth to help her. While he was gone, Corin showed up dressed similarly to Alice. She slid into the booth and ended up on the other side of Demetri. "Hey guys." she fluttered her lashes at Demetri and Alice exchanged glances with Bella.

Max and Julia returned to the booth with drinks for everyone, even Corin. After distributing them, they conversed, joking about work and complaining about many of the problematic students. Bella nursed her drink as she wasn't trying to get intoxicated the way her colleagues seemed to be.

"I had a student tell me that George Washington Carver discovered America in the 1800's." Max massaged his temples. "It's like they're getting more stupid with every passing year."

Alice laughed at the story. "I swear it's something in the water. I had a student ask me if he should give this girl he was crushing on, his ear." Alice picked up her nearly empty margarita. "I told him he's not Van Gogh so no. Hey that rhymed." She giggled at her own words and leaned into Demetri, resting her head on his shoulder.

Julia looked up from her fourth glass of whiskey. "Was the kid lanky with big ass blue eyes?" Alice nodded and Julia scowled. "That's one of the idiots who thought that it would be okay to have sex in the back room." She looked at her empty glass and held it upside down. "I need another drink." Julia left the table and her coworkers snickered.

"Wow she can really pack em." Corin commented. Suddenly a song began to play that had more people joining the dance floor. "Hey we should dance."

Demetri smiled at Corin. "I'm game."

"Sounds good to me." Max agreed.

Alice didn't want to be shown up by Corin so she accepted the invitation to dance. Soon everyone was on the dance floor, having a blast while Bella remained in the booth, still sipping her first drink. Julia remained at the bar as a man had taken interest in her, and was supplying her with drinks. Bella watched her co workers dancing and noticed a rivalry starting between Alice and Corin over Demetri. Alice would dance in front of Demetri sensually and Corin would slide in between the two. This happened for multiple songs and Bella couldn't help laughing when it became overtly obvious what the women were doing. At one point, Max tried to jump in and dance with Corin but she shoved him aside and he ended up stumbling into a few people. Demetri escaped the women and walked through the throng of people to make his way back to the booth. When he returned, he to take a swig of his drink.

"Bella, why aren't you dancing?" Demetri asked after gulping down half of his drink.

Bella shrugged and motioned to the empty booth. "Someone has to keep an eye on things right?"

Demetri rolled his eyes and held a hand out to Bella. "Screw that, come dance with us."

Bella looked at the hand warily. "I don't know. It looks pretty crowded." Bella wasn't wrong. More than half the occupants of the bar happened to be occupying the dance floor. Alice and Corin were still dancing, but were looking towards Demetri longingly.

"It's not so bad. You'll have fun. Trust me." Demetri insisted and finally won Bella over when she placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. The crowd seemed to part slightly for Demetri and he led Bella through the crowd towards the middle of the floor and began dancing. Bella felt awkward but lifted her hands and shook her hips to the beat. She only ever danced in the comfort of her own home and while she couldn't dance professionally, she could at least carry a beat. Demetri smiled at her in encouragement and she returned it full force.

It didn't take long for Alice and Corin to show up and cut in. But Bella didn't mind and ended up easing her way out of the dance crowd. She only danced for a few minutes, but surrounded by so many hot bodies had her overheating and needing a breath of fresh air. So she grabbed her phone and stepped outside of the tavern, walking towards where they parked.

It had stopped raining, but the ground was slick with water, so Bella had to watch her step. When she reached Alice's car, she leaned against it, then called Charlie. He answered on the fourth ring and she greeted him. "Hey Charlie, how's it going with Renesmee?"

Childish laughter could be heard in the background, and Bella could just make out the faint sound of the television. "It's going just fine Bells. We're watching a movie."

Bella glanced at her phone and noticed the time with a frown. "It's past her bedtime Charlie."

"She doesn't seem tired yet. But don't worry I'll lay her down after the movie goes off."

"I hope you do."

Charlie coughed into the phone and made a funny noise. "Oh no, you're fading out. I can't hear you. You're breaking up."

Bella rolled her eyes when he hung up, then slid her phone back into her pocket.

"Hey."

Bella turned around swiftly and found a man standing near her, smoking a cigarette. Her heart was beating fast as the man had startled her so it took her a moment to reply. "Hi."

The man took a deep puff of his cig and blew the smoke high into the air. He was much taller than her, maybe even rivaling Jacob in height. He had no hair, and tanned skin which was rare in Forks as the sun was rarely out. "What brings you out here this time of night?" Bella noticed with mild surprise that he had a thick Italian accent.

"I just wanted to make a phone call." she patted her pocket while responding. "What brings you out here?" Bella didn't want to hold a conversation with the man, but she was getting strange vibes from him.

The man held up his cigarette. "I needed a smoke. I keep planning to kick the habit but it can be hard." He took one final puff, then dropped it on the ground into a puddle. "Why did you come out here alone?" the man walked closer to Bella ran his hand down her arm.

Bella took a step away and glanced towards the tavern. "I just needed to take a call. But I'm done now, so I'm going back inside."

The Italian man laughed then gripped Bella's arm tightly. "Why so fast? I thought we were having a chat."

"Would you let go of me, please." Bella didn't raise her voice, or react in a scared manner. She didn't want the man to know that he had terrified her.

Instead of releasing her, his grip tightened and he pulled her towards him. "It's rude of you to exit a conversation without saying goodbye." Because he had pulled her into him, she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"I'm sorry for being rude. Let go of me." Bella felt her anxiety beginning to build. Flashbacks from when she used to date Edward were triggered and her breath came out haggardly. "Please let me go."

The man did not comply to Bella's wishes, but instead began to tow her towards his car. "I'm tired of girls like you treating me like this." he snapped angrily. "We were having a nice chat. I'm going to take you home with me and teach you some manners."

Bella began to struggled, wanting to be released as a panic attack was beginning to come over her. "No stop. Let go of me! Edward, please don't hurt me!"

The store was large, and built like a maze. Everywhere Bella turned, she thought the aisle would lead her towards the cash registers in the front of the store, but instead she would end up deeper and deeper into the store. All she wanted to buy was a cute, inexpensive lamp that had caught her eye. It was small, compact and red. She was able to carry it with one hand, but the confused woman could not make her way to the front of the store. It was almost like the designers had made the store to keep customers trapped in there for weeks.

"Where is she?!" an angry voice howled. Bella shuddered when she thought of him finding her. It was almost worth it to be lost. She contemplated hiding in the store forever, never having to return to him. But she knew that if he didn't find her soon, heads would roll. Bella began to walk towards his angry growls, and eventually found him in the bath tub section.

She motioned to him with a half wave as she drew closer to him. "Hey Edward. Sorry, I got lost."

Once Bella had reached him, Edward narrowed his eyes at her in speculation. "Leave us." He spoke to a man standing beside him, shaking at the tone of Edward's voice. Bella had never learned his name, but understood that he was one of Edward's employee's. She always thought of him as the stuttering man because whenever he spoke to Edward, he stuttered from being so nervous.

After the man had gone, Bella pondered making a run for it, as Edward looked livid. "I'm sorry I got lost." she murmured, looking down at her feet. A burning sensations suddenly flared across her face, and she dropped the lamp in surprise. It fell to the ground and shattered into a hundred pieces. Bella brought her hand to the side of her face and locked eye contact with Edward. "You didn't have to slap me." she nearly whispered. Her hand was shaking against her cheek and she felt tears well in her eyes from the shock.

"And you didn't have to be a fucking idiot." Edward grabbed her arm roughly and towed her towards him. "Let's go." He began to harshly drag her towards the front of the store. Taking the route that kept them from prying eyes.

Bella felt like her arm was going to be ripped from her socket, he was gripping her so tightly. "Edward I'm sorry. Please let me go." she begged, almost stumbling as he was walking so fast. "Please!"

"What's going on here?" Demetri asked sharply.

The man who still had a hold of Bella's arm, released her and she sank to the ground, panting harshly. "What's it to you? Go about your business."

Demetri puffed out his chest and walked towards the man. "That's my friend you got there. So this is my business." he growled, never breaking eye contact with the man. Once Demetri was standing in front of him, it was clear that the Italian man was a couple inches taller, but much thinner than Demetri. "Bella, are you okay?"

The woman in question was still on the ground, but was crawling away from the bald man, and towards Demetri. Once she had reached her co worker, she held on to his leg and used him to help herself stand up. Demetri broke eye contact with the man to assist her and received a quick punch in the face, knocking him and Bella on the ground. The Italian man looked ready to attack them both, but Alice and Corin came rushing out of the tavern screaming at the man.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Corin screamed.

"Leave them alone!" Alice shrieked.

The man actually seemed intimidated by the women and took off towards his car. Once he had gone, Alice and Corin tended to Demetri and Bella. Corin mainly focused on Demetri and Alice aided her friend. "Bella are you alright?" she asked softly.

Bella sat up from the ground and looked at Alice weakly. "I'm fine." She was shaken from the ordeal, but was starting to calm down. "Is it alright if we cut this outing short? I want to go home."

"Of course Bella." Alice stood up, then offered a hand to Bella. Once the women were upright, they turned to Demetri and Corin. "We're going to go home."

Demetri was helped to his feet by Corin, and was massaging his jaw. "Bella, are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't come out sooner."

"What were you doing out here?" Corin asked snippily. "There are psychos loose. You can't just go outside, at night, alone. You know better."

"Hey, cut her some slack Corin." Alice snapped. "She's been through enough."

Bella patted Alice's shoulder in gratitude, but also looked to Corin wearily. "I needed to make a phone call." She looked to Demetri and gave him a watery smile. "Thanks for coming when you did. I don't know how to thank you enough."

Demetri waved away her thanks. "You being alive and unharmed is thanks enough."

Bella bid her colleagues a farewell, then headed to Alice's car, with the pixie haired woman following close behind her. When they were on the road back to the apartment, Alice asked Bella if she wanted to talk about it. It being so fresh, Bella declined and merely told her that she would be alright. So to lighten the mood, Alice ranted about how Corin was going to be a problem.

"Every time I got him alone, she was there. I don't know what I'm going to do." Alice sighed into her seat. "I'm going to have to up my game."

The car suddenly became quiet and when Bella had stopped at a red light, she checked on Alice only to find the woman asleep with her mouth open and drool beginning to make it's way down her chin. Bella continued to drive them home, but thoughts of her past had her mind not focused on the road. It was a miracle they made it home in one piece as Bella barely paid attention to her surroundings. "What am I going to do?" she whispered to herself sadly. "I need help."

A/N: Happy Independence Day to any American readers. I hope you BBQ and enjoy all the food \(*o*)/