WARNING: GRAPHIC MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, SEXUAL ABUSE, CHILD ABUSE, MANIPULATIONS, VIOLENCE, NEGLECT, GRAPHIC LANGUAGE, TRIGGERING IMAGERY, BODY SHAMING, BULLYING, AND ADULT IMAGERY. IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY THIS OR DO NOT ENJOY IT, DO NOT READ.

Chapter Eleven.

Bella's POV:

Riley Winters was a bubble of joy and excitement that took me completely off guard. At game night she was a bit closed off and distracted, but now that her eyes were focused on me she was like a breath of fresh air.

You could never be like that, a voice in my head snapped. You're nothing but a Debbie Downer who makes people nervous.

My heart plummeted but I ignored the comments and tried to join the conversation. Dr. Garrity had said that creating strong bonds and lasting friendships could be very beneficial for me.

"So, Angela tells me you like to read?" I asked warily, and a bright smile filled her face. It was almost blinding.

"Yes! My favorite book is Aristotle and Dante. What's yours?"

"Wuthering Heights."

"Ah, a fan of the classics more?"

"Yeah," I laughed. "My gran loved them too and I kind of adopted it from her."

"My grandma got me into reading too. I remember my favorite book as a kid was The Velveteen Rabbit."

"That's such a good story! My dad used to read it to me every night when I came to visit him."

"You both are such nerds." Angela teased as she sipped her lemonade, eyeing us back and forth. We both turned to her and stuck out our tongues before bursting into laughter.

Ah, it felt good to laugh. I hadn't felt so at ease in a long time.

The rest of the night was spent perusing the shopping mall and eating our weight in soft pretzels.

Leah's POV:

Life was taking its toll on me. From patrolling to work to general college classes, I was fed up.

After some consideration, I decided to take the law enforcement entrance exam. They were in desperate need of officers in Forks, and I was tired of risking my life and not getting any credit. And I looked sexy in a uniform if I do say so myself.

Mother was none too happy, but Seth thought it was 'lit'. Whatever that means.

Jacob was another thing altogether. After I had told him he had whisked us away to my bedroom and pulled me into an embrace so tight I would have passed out if I were human. His chest rumbled, and his large hands had found their way under my shirt and were rubbing the skin of my lower back.

"This is dangerous."

"Mhm."

"I don't like it, Lee."

"I'm still taking the exam, Jake."

"I know." He pulled me into a lip lock that left me breathless and soon we lost ourselves in each other's body. My heartfelt full enough to burst. I know this was his way to show me that he would support me in this, and I was grateful.

I groaned into his neck as he slipped inside of me, hands shaking and vision blurry.

"I love you, Lee. So much."

"I love you too…" My voice trailed off as we moved in unison. And I meant it.

Embry's POV:

"Are you sure this is legal?" I asked as we phased and pulled on our clothes at the edge of the forest behind a shady event taking place. People swarmed around like ants. Paul just grinned at me.

"Fuck yeah, it is. Just follow my lead."

I don't know about this, I thought to myself before following him into the mass of bodies. There was a strong body odor permeating the air and I wrinkled my nose in distaste.

"What are we even doing here? Is this a concert, a race?"

"Nah, this is way better."

Soon enough we were standing towards the front, both of us with hotdogs, nachos, and drinks in our hands. The food was quickly eaten before the show started, and we sipped at our drinks.

A small ring sat in the middle of the crowd. Were we seeing wrestlers? But why was it so small?

"What is this, Paul?" I nudged his side, but he quickly shushed me.

"Shh, it's starting!" Everyone was silent as an announcer's voice came on.

"Hey, how is everyone doing? You ready to see some wrestling?" The crowd cheered. "Our first wrestler is none other than The Terminator!" I looked around to see the wrestler but suddenly my eyes caught the crowd dispersing. A little person with long brown hair and large muscles climbed into the ring.

"I'll be back!" The crowd went wild. He did a few kicking and punching moves that had the room exploding with excitement.

"Our next wrestler is a crowd favorite, give it up for The Prince!" An even short little person with short blonde hair and a Disney prince-esque costume on climbed into the ring.

"Hello, my lovely subjects!" The two tiny wrestlers went to the opposite sides of the ring before running at each other. My jaw was to the floor as I saw two little people wrestle.

"Paul, what the hell? Where are we?"

"Midget wrestling, kid. Isn't it sweet?"

"How the hell did you find this place?"

"My old buddies and I used to frequent it before I phased. Pretty cool, huh?" I was about to disagree until The Prince got an upper hand and body slammed The Terminator. Without thinking I screamed along with the crowd. "I knew you'd like it!"

We spent the rest of the night watching little person after little person duel it out until ultimately The Prince, who had become my favorite, was named the victor.

What a crazy night!

Bella's POV:

"So, Bella, I heard you met Riley," Lauren implored from across the table as I bit into my apple. I stiffened but nodded, swallowing the bite. "How was it?" It was only the three of us due to the others all studying in the library and meeting with their coaches.

"It was great. We're hanging out again in a few weeks."

"I don't know why she'd hang out with you and not us, though, no offense. We have more in common with her. You know, because we were both on the volleyball team together." Jessica said with a giggle, and my face grew hot.

"And she and I were on the cheerleading squad until sophomore year when she moved," Lauren added.

"I don't even know what you both would talk about. You're not athletically inclined at all."

"I'm not that bad…" Was I?

"You literally trip while walking on a smooth surface. I've never seen someone so clumsy." She and Lauren started laughing and my face grew hot. "Do you remember when she tripped over the fan cord in English and almost broke it? Mr. Berty was so pissed."

"Yeah, that was so funny! What about when she literally caused a pile up in the hallway after tripping and falling on Austin who fell on the football team who fell on the cheerleading squad who fell on the pep squad." Others looked over at our lunch table and I felt my face grow hot.

"I'm not that clumsy, guys."

"No, you really are. You're like a walking accident or something."

"It wasn't even that bad. It was only a few guys from the football team and one cheerleader!"

"So, you admit you're a walking accident then? Finally, I'm glad you're not as stupid as you look." The bell rang and both girls stood up and walked away from the table, leaving me to clean up their trash along with my own. I had been so happy up until this point, but both girls had caused my good mood to plummet. With a sad sigh, I cleaned up our mess and decided to skip the rest of the day.

I made my way to my locker and grabbed my things before leaving out the front doors. No one was in the main office, most likely a staff meeting, and I easily snuck out to make the long trek home. Rain sprinkled from the sky, but I ignored it as I walked down the many roads that would lead me home.

I was glad for the first time that I didn't have my truck with me. It gave me time to think alone, without Embry or Charlie.

Jessica and Lauren's words flooded my head. Was I really that clumsy, did I look that stupid? I've always thought I was smart, but then Edward said I wasn't good enough and that my mind would forget him soon enough. I was just a pathetic, clumsy human girl. All I had going for me were my grades. I wasn't the most social person and had trouble creating good friendships. It was a miracle that Angela had stuck around.

I understood why Jessica had a vendetta against me, I had risked her life when I got on that biker's motorcycle. But Lauren had always hated me. Why? What had I done to her? I know she liked Tyler back when I first moved back, and he had liked me, but I didn't try to step on her toes. And now they were dating! What was the problem?

"Bella?" I jumped as a voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned to see who had called my name, only to meet Embry's dark eyes. He was driving my truck in the direction I was walking.

"Hey, Embry."

"What are you doing? Don't you have class?"

"Don't you?"

"Come on, get inside before you get a cold." As if on cue I sneezed, and quickly I clambered into the truck before he started driving. We were silent as he drove, and we quickly made it back to the Swan residence. I got out without giving him a glance and unlocked the door before running to my room. Thankfully, I didn't trip on the way there.

With the door shut behind me, I threw my bag and jacket down before kicking off my shoes and slipping into bed. The sprinkle of rain had turned into an all-out downpour, and my emotions mirrored them.

A few minutes passed until my door opened and shut again, and Embry slipped into bed behind me. I couldn't hold in the tears that started to fall.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"They said I was clumsy and looked stupid and didn't understand how Riley could be my friend."

"Oh, honey. Don't listen to them. They're just jealous that you guys hit it off."

"They're right, though."

"Don't say that. You're not even that clumsy. Honestly, I feel like you only think you're so clumsy because of him putting it in your head."

"What do you mean?"

"Were you this clumsy before you dated him?" I shook my head. "See, there you go. You think you're clumsy, so you are."

"What about being stupid?"

"You literally have a four-point-o GPA."

"But I dated a vampire…"

"Loving someone doesn't make you stupid, it makes you naïve. He was your first boyfriend, and he was gorgeous and rich. I could understand you falling for him." A surge of anger ripped through me and I jerked away before turning to face him. His eyes were widened with surprise.

"I didn't care about his money. He and I had a lot in common." Embry was silent for a second before giving me a calm look.

"What did you both have in common?"

"Reading, music, uhm…" As a memory surfaced in my head I flushed and felt more tears fall. "He could play the piano and he wrote me a lullaby."

"A lullaby?"

"Yeah, and he would hum it to me every night before going to sleep."

"Wait, he was here? Every night?"

"Well, yeah. He started watching me sleep before we started dating, but when I knew what he was doing we started staying up talking." Embry's expression turned haunted and I suddenly felt sick. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. Holy crow, I messed up again."

"He snuck into your room and watched you sleep without your permission?"

"When you put it like that it seems sketchy, but…"

"That's because it is. No one has the right to do anything to without your permission." He leaned up and grabbed my face in his big, warm hands. "Bella, what he was doing was wrong. You were a seventeen-year-old girl, and he was god-knows how old and taking advantage of your infatuation for him."

"N-no, he wasn't! He wouldn't do that." I pushed his hands away and glared.

"That guy that abandoned you in the forest to freeze to death wouldn't do that?" He snorted sarcastically. "I highly doubt that."

"How do you even know what's politically correct in a relationship?"

"I've had a girlfriend or two. I know how to treat a woman, Bella. And that never entails stalking or controlling them."

Did he really control me? Edward had always said he had my best interests, but whenever I tried to decide for myself he would dazzle me until I did what he wanted. I didn't want to go to prom or have that stupid birthday party, yet I was forced to. And now that Embry mentioned it, why was I so calm about him watching me sleep? For months he had endangered me by watching me sleep, no matter what his siblings had said. They had all been against him doing it, especially Rosalie.

I put my face in my hands and sobbed. What was wrong with me? Was I that much of a danger magnet that I accepted love even in its worst forms?

Embry pulled my hands from my face and wiped the tears from my cheeks before pulling me back down to lay on the bed. His smooth voice hummed a calming tune and without meaning to I fell asleep, arms wrapped tightly around his torso.

Third person POV:

Jessica Stanley's bedroom was dark except for the yellow star nightlight she had never gotten rid of and her large tv screen. In her hands was a game controller. She was almost finished with this game, all she had to do was kill the boss and-

"Yes! Fuck yeah! Woot woot!"

"Its one in the morning shut the fuck up and go to sleep, chubby!" Her older brother, Thomas, thundered from his room and she immediately quieted down before plopping down on her red beanbag again with a sigh. Without thinking her hand went to grasp what little stomach fat she had, and a wave of disgust filled her body.

She hated the nickname Chubby, but it had been christened to her ever since she was born at the large weight of nine pounds. She was big then, and she was big now.

With her game beat, she decided to shut the television down and head to bed. With her phone in hand, she slithered under her bed sheets and quickly texted her boyfriend, Mike.

"You have time to talk? I miss you."

"Sorry, I'm busy right now. You think you can survive without me for a bit?" She knew he was teasing her for being clingy, but it still hurt. Jessica closed her phone without replying and sat it on her nightstand before pulling the lilac, light pink, and light blue comforter over her head. It only took a few minutes for sleep to claim her.

Mr. Jefferson grunted from behind her, his rough hand on her head to hold her down. Lauren's eyes were glazed over, and she fought the urge to fight back and rip his throat out. It would only be worse for her if she did. Her little sister, Peyton, slept down the hallway naïve to what was going on. She would never know this pain and disgust.

I'm doing this for her, Lauren reminded herself. So, this disgusting creep doesn't touch my baby sister and taint her like he tainted me.

Her father's business partner finished with a grunt before pulling out and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"You're still as good as the day we started this." He whispered, and she shuddered, tears falling from her eyes before she could stop it. He pulled his dress pants back up before exiting the room and going back down to her parent's dinner party.

It had been like this for as long as she could remember, but there was nothing she could do. Peyton came first, and she always would.

Lauren pulled her underwear and pajama pants up before covering herself with her dark grey and red comforter, trying her hardest to disappear.

Peyton came first, Peyton came first, Peyton came first. But who would save her, she thought. Who would save her from this hell that she had grown accustomed to?