Okay, so since this is an actual chapter, I just wanna say sorry for skipping out on the updates last week. I just was having a little writer's block, and I wasn't very comfortable in how subsequent chapters came out, and I came close to just starting from scratch. But I didnt. And I'm sure you guys wouldn't have appreciated that, so yeah.

And now, I present to you, chapter six!

Xxx

Chapter Six

I remember growing up here, in Forks, so bored, and I remember hating my mother- hating her more than Charlie- for dragging us down here, dragging me down here, trapping me here.

But I guess she had her reasons. I mean, I guess back then, she really had to have loved Charlie. They must have really been in love. I'm guessing Renee had to have thought that moving down here would give her that sense of security she had been longing for and that she'd finally get what she had always wanted.

A family.

Back then, Charlie was still exhibiting the same traits, but he wasn't the full-fledged alcoholic he was now. And I guess when you love somebody, it makes it hard to see who they really are underneath it all, because you can't even think straight with how wonderful you feel.

And I know that even now, Renee still loves my dad. Or, at least, the idea of him. I can see it in her eyes, when, on some occasions, my dad's sober enough to give my mom her meds and sit down with her. I know she must remember the man she met in high school who wrote her cheesy love poems and brought her flowers.

Things change though. Or at least people do. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Maybe this place has always been the same. Maybe it's just the people that are changing.

...

Angela didn't come to school on Monday. I guess she was worked up with shock that she just stayed home, which kind of bummed me out because hanging out with her in Port Angeles was pretty damn fun.

Jessica was at school though, gossiping to anyone who would listen. When she saw me, her eyes narrowed slightly and she smiled. "Oh my gosh! Bella!" She wrapped her tiny arms around my waist. "I'm so happy to see you! You know, I was this close to thinking that maybe that girl on the news was you..." She looked behind her to Lauren. "I mean, who would've thought that the sheriff's daughter liked to hang around at places like that." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Crazy..."

I shrugged, breathing even breaths to keep from going off. "I was having a rough night."

"Really?" Jessica threw her head back and laughed. "So I guess you decided to find somebody to make it all go away, huh?" I froze.

Edward.

She must've noticed me tense up and she pressed, Lauren drawing closer to listen in more. "I mean, like, picking up strangers in bars?" She clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Daddy wouldn't approve."

I slammed, making Lauren and her jump, and then smiled. "Well, he doesn't need to know, now does he?"

I don't mean it to come out like a threat, but I can tell by the way Jessica recoiled backwards, slightly shocked, that there must have been a menacing edge to my voice.

She doesn't say anything, instead deciding to drag Lauren off out of sight, brushing past me with a cool "bye".

The bell sounded for 5th period, but I decided against going, instead slipping past groups of students and making my way outside in the student parking lot.

I opened the door to my truck, throwing my bag inside and hopping in on the passenger slide, slipping off my flats and resting my head against the window, sighing.

With Jessica's mention of Edward, my stomach feels like it's been pumped full of helium. Despite being drunk off my ass last night, I can still vividly recall the heat of his lips on mine and his calloused fingers brushing against my face.

"You're welcome." It wasn't anything more than a kiss of gratitude, for him driving me home and dropping me off, and when he leaned back in, he had simply been returning the favor, albeit a bit... intensely.

I shook my head. Who knows when I might see Edward again? Who's to say he hasn't hitchhiked out of town with buddies of his somewhere else?

Probably. And I would deal with it, because having silly little crushes was never something I liked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a tall figure move and instictively, I ducked, but now before a stranger with copper skin and dark eyes had seen me and run over to press their face against my window.

"Hey," he knocked, voice muffled. "Hey, I'm sorry for scaring you. I just need a light." He waved, smiling. "You got one? A lighter?"

Slowly, I sat up, sighing. I climbed into the drivers seat and opened the door. "No," I said. "Sorry. I don't smoke." His face dropped.

"Oh." He looked dissapointed before a moment before his face brightened. "Hey, I know you." He snapped his fingers then pointed his index finger at my left eyebrow, where a scar ran through the hair. "You're that girl I saw in the hallways last week."

Looking at his features- dark hair, dark eyes, copper skin, and a boyish, innocent grin- I gave a small smile. "Oh! Yeah!" I ran my fingers through my hair. "Yeah, it's me."

"Sweet!" He looked around, then stuck out his hand. "I'm Jacob, by the way."

My smile became much more natural now. "Bella." I grabbed his hand. It was warm.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." Jacob pulled his hand back and stuffed it into the pocket of his leather jacket. "Well, it was nice meeting you again, Bella," he answered. "See you around, yeah?"

I nodded. "Yeah, yeah you too, Jacob." I watched him swivel around then walk away. I flexed my fingers, still feeling the warmth of his hand around my fingertips.

Huh.

...

When I got home that night, Charlie was standing in the middle of the kitchen, arguing loudly with Renee, who was leaning on the kitchen counter for support, screaming back

"Whoa... whoa!" I placed myself in between the two and Charlie snarled. Yelling, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close. "Da-"

"Where is it?" He shouted, spit flying into my face.

I stared back at him in shock. "What?"

"You know," he screamed back. He smelled like cigarette buds and sweat. "You know what I'm talking about. Don't shit with me Bells." He shook me and I felt like I was gonna vomit. "Where the fuck is my liquor?"

I swallowed. Of course. I don't know how buying Charlie's liquor for this week skipped my mind, but it did, probably because that Friday I was too busy being drunk and that Saturday morning I was too busy being hungover.

"Dad," I said, placing a hand on his chest. "Dad, I'm sorry, okay. But I can go out and get some-"

Charlie didn't let me finish. Instead, he brought his fist across my face, forcing me down to the floor. He stood over me and then, for good measure, kicked me in the gut twice. I wheezed, clutching my stomach, feeling warm blood seep from my mouth.

"Next time," he said," I won't be so gentle." He turned back to Renee and I heard her whimper. "I'm going to bed. Make sure you bring up my steak," and then he left.

When he was out of earshot, Renee crouched down to tend to my wounds but I hissed. "No," I croaked. "Get away."

"Bella-"

"-You better get Charlie's steak," I said, sitting up,"Before he gets you, too." I gave her a smile. "I'm a big girl, mom. I'm fine. It didn't even really hurt. Now get his steak, please."

There was this expression in her eyes that I couldn't quite read, but I knew that she was on the brink of tears when she stood and turned away from me, bustling around and pulling a steak out of the fridge. Before walking upstairs, she looked back at me.

"I'm sorry, bella..." if she had been any quieter, I wouldn't have been able to hear her, but I did, and I didn't say anything. I let her go, and just sat there, blinking back tears, hauling myself onto my feet, gritting my teeth at the pain in my gut.

I grabbed my keys off the counter and slipped on my windbreaker, slipping outside quietly.

I didn't even get in my truck. Instead, I just walked, and walked some more, and walked so much that I couldn't even see our cul-de-sac anymore. It had started raining, but I just walked faster, soaked to the bone in rainwater.

I've gotta leave here. Gotta leave here for good.

Any thoughts of leaving, though, stopped as soon as I though of Renee being here, alone with Charlie, who was prone to bouts of rage. The thought of him raining down blows onto her fragile body was too much to bear.

I'd die before I'd let mom go through that.

So I settled for walking far, far away for now, and thankfully, the cold from the rain soothed the pain in my face. I continued on, ignoring passing cars and it wasn't until blinding headlights flashed directly behind me that I stopped, pausing.

"Didn't think you liked long, cold walks, Bella." I heard a chuckle and a car door open. I gritted my teeth and kept walking. "Bella?" A hand grabbed my shoulder and I shrugged it off. "Bella!"

I turned around and roughly shoved him, screaming. "What? What do you want?"

Edward fell flat on his ass, and he stared up at me, his eyes wearing an expression I had never imagined seeing on him. Surprise.

"What! What!" I was yelling now, and I didn't care that by now, I was crying. "Come to play some more mind games with me?" And rubbed at my face. "Bet you wanted to make out some nore, huh?"

He just laid there and that just made me angrier. So, I ran up to him and hovered over him, so that I was pounding on his chest, sobbing and heaving and looking utterly pathetic no doubt. "What? What? What?"

He reached up and grabbed my wrists. I snarled, more tears falling as I failed around and twisted in his grip until I was weak and powerless in his grip. Then, he stood, bringing me with him, walking me over to the backseat of his van and pushing me in.

He got in the front sest, strapping himself in. He turned to look back at me, then, and as if on cue, a sardonic grin came across his features. "Rough night, huh?"

"What do you know about it," I bit back. He chuckled. He fucking chuckled and I was stricken by the sudden urge to bring my fist back and break that fucking nose of his.

"A lot, actually." He turned back around. "Some asshole nearly kicked my off and ran off with my stash." He turned back around, smirking. "He didn't get far, though."

Smiling wryly, I tilted my head, inquiring. "What did you do to him?"

He just stared at me, smirking. So, I moved along.

"Will you-"

"-Take you home. Already on it-"

"-No!" I said fiercely. He jumped and looked back at me, eyebrows furrowed. "No... no I want... I need somewhere else to go. Just for the night. Just until tomorrow. Do you know a place?"

Silence greeted me, then Edward's deep laugh broke through and finally, he turned back around fully, crawling into the backseat so his face was inches from mine. "What's a favor between friends," he answered, then, he placed a quick peck on my cheeks.

As Edward placed his car in drive and began to take off, I leaned my he'd against the cool glass window and closed my eyes.

I didn't mind that this was only temporary, leaving my home. But for tonight, even if only for a few hours, I could pretend that what I had back home didn't even exist.

For tonight, I could live something different than the suffocating nightmare that waited for me back home.

xxx

Going back to my writer's block, I turn to music sometimes whenever I lack inspiration, and a lot of these chapters were influenced by songs. I even have a Playlist titled Midtown Beauty, which contains all of the songs I drew inspiration from as of now, and it's growing.

Midtown Beauty

Wild- Troye Sivan

Fools - Troye Sivan

Suburbia- Troye Sivan

Blue- Marina and the Diamonds

Wake up- Eden

Sex- The 1975

Head. Cars. Bending- The 1975

Settle Down- The 1975

xxxx

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