Chapter 14
Jacob's POV
It was a typical Saturday morning.
The shop was booked until close with appointments for oil changes, tire rotations, paint jobs and dent repairs. On top of that, I knew we would get the people who dropped off their cars in the morning--'walk ins' that we would have to fit in. However, being the boss, I generally didn't have to deal with that everyday work. I tended to work on my passion-restoring classic cars. And thanks to Rosalie Cullen, I now had the reputation as one of the best classic car restorers in the city; second to her, that is.
Ever since I discovered the joy of working on cars, I had known that I wanted to run my own garage. I wanted to specialize in restoring classics, especially after I restored my first car; a 1986 Black Volkswagen Rabbit. Unfortunately, there was a lot of competition in the Emerald City and I had known I would have to work my way up. With encouragement from Bella, my dad, Alice and Leah, I opened my very own shop: Alpha Auto Body and Repair Shop.
Yes, my Alphina came up with the name.
I had struggled for business in the beginning, but through word of mouth, it started to grow. I was making ends meet, coming out even most months, that would have been fine if my wife was breaking more than even, since she owned her own business as well. In short, times were rough.
Then one day, luck was on my side and I ran into Rosalie at the local coffee shop around the corner; and no it wasn't Starbucks. She was stressing out about a client needing some work done sooner than was possible for her shop. I offered my service, and although she was hesitant at first, seeing as she had never seen my work, I was able to use my charm and persuade her to give me the job. Of course, I kicked ass repairing the 1954 BMW Roadster and Rose paid me kindly. My work relationship with Rose continued to grow and eventually we entered into this silent partnership.
Which brings me back to today.
I had this sweet, cherry red 1965 Mustang in my side garage waiting to be worked on, itching to be touched, but freaking Alec called out sick. So instead, I found myself under a red 2007 mustang.
I finally got the break I needed when Bella texted me in need of a ride from the hospital. She briefly explained that Alexis 'pulled a Bella' and broke her arm while riding her bike. I left the garage in the hands of Embry and drove to see my best girl.
When I pulled into the parking lot, I immediately found a spot at the end of an aisle and once inside, it didn't take me long to find her. She was standing down a hallway talking to her boyfriend, Edward, and I had to smile seeing the two of them together. Ever since she had started dating him, I had never seen Bella happier. In fact, I really hadn't seen much of her at all since she started dating him.
At least he's keeping her satisfied and in a good mood.
As I got closer to them, it felt as if I was interrupting something, but I brushed the feeling off asking about Alexis. After brief pleasantries, Bella excused herself to go get the little squirt.
"Jacob, I need your help," Edward said, quickly. "You know Bella better than anyone, you've been there for her through pretty much everything, she listens to you..."
"Are we talking about the same Bella?" I joked, but mentally smacked myself when Edward's face saddened. "What's wrong?"
"It's James, he's back," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What do you mean he's back?" I asked, fisting my hands at my sides.
"He's in Seattle and he knows where Bella works and where I live."
"Has he contacted her?"
"He approached her last month outside work, asked to apologize as part of some twelve step repenting program. She went to lunch with him and didn't tell me about it until after our weekend getaway..."
"Asshole," I muttered under my breath.
"But I don't care about that. Jacob, he's trying to worm his way back into her life and she doesn't even realize it. See, he works for a lawn care company that works in my neighborhood so he sees her whenever she's over and he waves to her, tries to talk to her. She thinks I don't know, but I'm not stupid. And I don't blame Bella for being nice to him, that's who she is. It's one of the many things I love about her, how big her heart is. My issue with the guy really began today; he drove Bella and Lexi to the hospital."
"What the fuck?!"
"Yeah, he just happened to be around when Lexi fell and Bella said he got to her before she could. Anyway, after taking Lexi into a room, I came back out here to check on Bella since she was quite pale when they walked in, and I found them out here sitting face to face. He had one hand on her arm, the other on her face. He tried to start some shit by telling me about his little lunch with Bella, obviously assuming that she hadn't told me about it. He wants her, Jacob, and I bet he's willing to do anything to get her back. I'm scared not only for her, but for my daughter, as well."
"And you have every right to be, I've seen what the shithead can do," I growled.
"I need you to talk to her," Edward pleaded with his eyes.
"I'll knock some sense into that pretty, naive head of hers. I don't want that piece of shit anywhere near her with the temper he has," I promised as I saw Bella approaching with Alexis out of the corner of my eye.
From the look on her face, I could tell she knew Edward was telling me about James. She wasn't happy about that and I knew if I didn't get her out of there soon, she was going to go off on him. Bella did not like when people intruded into her life; be it her dad, her best friend, or Prince William for that matter. She liked her independence and didn't want to be judged on the decisions she made.
But I was just as furious- if not more- after hearing everything Edward had said, but I kept my emotions in check with the little one in front of me with her arm all bandaged up. It wasn't hard to put a smile on my face after hearing Alexis call me 'Jakey Poo.'
I took her from Bella, asking her what happened. She proceeded to tell me all about it; her bike ride, the bags of wood that made her fall, the fall itself, the car ride with the scary man and the x-ray. She talked the whole way to the truck and I was so consumed in her story that I let Bella fall behind. It wasn't until I was unlocking the door that I realized she wasn't following us. She was standing in the middle of the parking lot having an argument with Edward. They were trying to keep their voices down, but that went down in flames when she walked away and he grabbed her by the elbow. Everyone stopped to stare for a minute or two when she yelled at him to stop grabbing her.
Little did Edward know, that's how James used to grab her; that's how it all started with him grabbing her too hard around the elbow to stop her from leaving or to pull her away from a conversation. I remember the excuses she used to make for the bruises, claiming she 'ran into a wall.' I bought them in the beginning, with Bella being the huge klutz that she always was, but after a while it didn't seem to make sense.
"Why are daddy and Bella yelling?" Alexis asked with a pout.
"They're not happy right now, sweet heart," I placated as I opened the door and buckled her in the built in booster seat.
"Are they fighting cuz of me? Cuz I hurt my arm wit Bella? Daddy mad at Bella cuz my arm."
I could see the moisture pooling in her eyes.
"No, no, no, sweet heart. You did absolutely nothing wrong and this has nothing to do with your arm. This is a grown up thing," I sighed.
"I don't want em to fight," she cried as I wiped away the stray tear that escaped.
"I know, me either. You good?" I asked, giving her a thumbs up.
She nodded her head. I closed the door and walked around the front end to get in, buckling myself and starting the car and then backed out of the spot. I drove over to where Bella and Edward were standing and waited. I tried not to watch, but my heart ached when I saw tears streaming down Bella's face. I could tell that she knew she had hurt Edward and didn't know how to take it back.
Stay mad, Jacob. Don't let her get you all soft. You need to stay firm; she needs to be yelled at about this whole James situation.
"Why Bella crying?"
"I don't know, Lex."
Edward opened the door and Bella got in. The moment she buckled herself, I hit the gas and drove off.
"What the hell are you thinking, Bella?" I asked, hitting the steering wheel.
"Not now, Jake, please. My head hurts, I don't want to fight with you, too," she whined.
"Well, that's too bad, sweetheart because you and I are going to have this talk."
"Just let me have the ride to my place. Please Jacob," she pleaded.
I stole a glance in her direction and mentally kicked myself for doing so. I couldn't yell at her in this state, kick her more when she's already down and out. And it really probably was not the best idea to have this discussion with Alexis in the back seat, who was also in an emotional state right now.
Wait, did she just say her place?
"Why are we going to your place?" I inquired.
"He doesn't want me at his. He said he'd pick up Lex after work," she explained with a sob.
I reached for her hand and slid my fingers in between hers, locking them together.
"Don't cry, Bella," Alexis comforted, her bottom lip quivering.
Bella looked over her shoulder and offered a weak smile.
"I'm fine, Lex, don't worry about me."
The rest of the ride to Bella's apartment was quiet, except for the few hiccoughs that escaped from both of them. I parked the car and Bella got out, grabbing Alexis. We walked up to her place and she let us inside. I led the little one to the sofa and put on Noggin while Bella went in her room to change, her clothes still bloody from the fall.
When she joined us fifteen minutes later, her eyes were red again and very puffy. I stood up and enveloped her in my arms and she buried her face in my chest, crying softly. I could feel the tears soak my shirt and I tried to comfort her by running my hand through her hair and along her back.
When the sobs eased, I pulled us apart and held her face in my hands.
"Have a seat; I'm going to put on some tea."
She nodded and went to sit next to Alexis, who latched onto Bella and started comforting her. I brought a cup over to her a couple of minutes later and sat on the other side of Alexis. I waited to broach the subject of James until Alexis fell asleep. Once she did, I picked her up and took her into Bella's room and closed the door.
"I've given you plenty of time to think, so we're going to talk about this. Now. What are you thinking getting involved with James again?" I asked in a calm voice.
"I'm not 'getting involved with him'. We had lunch, once. Why does everyone keep making a big deal out of this?" she asked, throwing her hands up.
"That's all he needs, Bella. Just one chance to get in your good graces and then it's all over; you won't be able to get rid of him. Don't you remember? That's what he did last time. And from what I've heard, that seems to be the case now as well. I hear he's been waving to you, trying to talk to you..."
"He's not the same person, Jake. I can tell."
"I know you think everyone has good in them, Bella Bell, but there are exceptions. You weren't there, you didn't see the way he came at Quil that day," I told her, cupping her cheek and began recalling that day to her.
I remembered like it was yesterday. She had already left the bowling alley and Quil and I were standing outside after saying goodbye to her, while waiting for Paul and Rachel to finish paying. They were taking so long that I decided to go check on them and when I came back out, Quil and James were nose to nose, seething. James was mumbling something about Quil going after Bella and wanting her back. We all knew that wasn't true; yes Quil still loved her, but knew it wasn't meant to be, that there was someone else out there for him. In fact, he'd even had his eye on this girl, Claire. He had tried to tell James that, we all did; but he wouldn't listen. Finally, we thought he saw reason when he started to walk away so we headed to the car since Rach and Paul joined us. Quil made a comment about Bella and Paul dating at one point, wondering why he always got all the crap.
Within seconds, I heard footsteps coming from behind us quickly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up on end and I tensed. I turned around to see James running at full speed towards Quil, nothing but rage in his eyes, grabbing him around the waist and slamming him to the ground before Paul and I could do anything. Rach screamed as James threw fists at Quil's face and ribs; left and right, left and right. We tried to pull him off, but there was so much adrenaline running through James' body that it took the help of two other men to help us. The minute we got him off, he'd tried taking swipes at us. We dodged his fists and then I think reality set back in and he didn't like his odds so he ran, like a little coward.
I took her hands in mine and gave them a gentle squeeze as she stared at me dumbfounded. "Bella, he left Quil bleeding in the middle of the parking lot. We couldn't even move him; he was in so much pain. Rach called 911 and we spent the night in the ER, waiting for Quil to get cleared. How can you forgive someone for doing that to someone you loved? How can you forgive someone for doing almost the same thing to you?"
I looked at Bella and she looked like she was in a far off place.
She must be thinking of that night.
The tears streamed down her face. I've kept all the details of that night from her, but today she needed to hear the truth, to see James for who he really was.
"Why didn't you ever tell me? Why'd you only tell me it was a black eye?" she asked, hitting me in the stomach. "Why did you sugar coat it?"
"You weren't strong enough to handle that back then. I remember how upset you were thinking it was just a black eye. You felt so much guilt for that one black eye; I'd hate to see what you'd look like if you knew he did so much more. But don't you get it, Bella? You can't change someone like that. The anger...it's still there, just lying dormant. You make one wrong move and that rage comes out. He's hurt you twice, and there is nothing to stop him from hurting you again."
"It's my fault, Jake. He had such a promising future and it's my fault."
"You need to stop with all that guilt bullshit. You did nothing wrong. It's not a sin to be friends with guys or your exes for that matter. You should be damn proud that you're able to keep such a great relationship with Paul and Quil. Would you feel bad for the ass if it was me who he beat up?"
"I would've killed him," she growled.
"My point exactly." I smiled. "Why are you trying to screw up a good thing for a fucker like that? I've never seen you so happy, Bella. You have a good man who loves you so much that he calls you out on your shit. And I know you love him; I can see it in your face whenever he walks into a room. Even tonight, when we drove away, you couldn't take your eyes off of him even though you were mad at him."
"I just wanted to help him, that's all," she sighed, standing up to pace. "I see him out there, working in the hot sun and I know that he could be doing so much more with his life. I want to help him get back on the right track."
"I'm sure you do, but that's not your job. You owe him nothing, Bells. Plus, if he really wants things to change in his life he has to want to do them himself..." I was going to continue lecturing her, but pounding on the door stopped me.
"Isabella Marie Swan, if you don't answer this door right now, I'm going to break it down," the normally cheerful voice said, now riddled with anger.
"Oh no," Bella groaned. "Why'd you call her?"
I smiled as I got up to answer the door.
"I didn't. Why hello, Alice," I greeted, opening the door wider for she and Jasper to walk in. "How nice it is to see you. What up, Jasper?"
"What the fuck is wrong you, Bella?" Alice yelled with her hands on her hip.
"Will you shush," Bella shushed her throwing her hands over Alice's mouth. "Alexis is here sleeping."
"Oh, sorry," Alice aplogized, removing Bella's hand then whispered, "Again, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
"What are you talking about, Alice?"
"Oh, I think you know."
Bella shrugged, not giving into Alice right away.
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," she huffed. "Why didn't you tell me about this little lunch you had with your psycho ex-boyfriend? Why are you getting associated with him again?"
"Grrrrrr," Bella growled, pulling at her hair. "He asked if he could apologize, I let him at lunch. I've seen him around Edward's neighborhood, I wave, say hello, do the polite thing, and that's it. I've never initiated a conversation. Today, he drove Lex and me to the hospital when she broke her arm because I didn't have a car..."
"Wait, you let him drive you someplace?" Jasper interrupted. "How could you have been that stupid, Bella? You know I don't butt into your life like these two, but he could've taken you and Lexi anywhere besides the hospital. How could you put both of you in that situation?"
The room fell silent. We all were thinking the same thing, but neither Alice nor I said it out loud; we didn't want Bella to feel that guilt. But we both knew it needed to be said so we nodded our heads in agreement with Jasper and I could see Alice's shoulders relax a bit.
"He's not a kidnapper," she mumbled.
"You don't know that. He's been in jail, you don't know what he is anymore," Jasper argued.
"I want to know why you're defending him," Alice added. "And let me just say I have a bad feeling about this whole situation, B."
"And I have a good feeling, Ali. My body no longer tenses when I see him; he's genuinely a good person again. He's the James I remember from the beginning, not that monster."
"But that monster is just lying dormant," Alice countered.
"See," I pointed.
"Ugh, why are you so fucking stubborn?" Jasper groaned.
"What is it going to take for you to see things clearly?" I asked, walking up to her and grabbing her face, gently. "Do you have to wait for him to hit you again, come after Lexi? What?"
She removed my hands from her face and walked out to the porch.
"I've tried, guys, I really have. I told her the truth about that night with Quil," I said, sitting down and resting my face in my hands.
"And she's still not seeing clear? What is she thinking?" Alice asked, taking a seat next to me.
"She feels like it's her fault, that she ruined his future, but no one is to blame for that but him. I really don't know what's going to get through to her, if we can't and Edward can't," I sighed.
"It's happening all over again, Jake. He's sucking her right in and she's falling for all the bullshit. I tried to warn her the first time. His ex and I had mutual friends and she told me that James had a temper. I told Bella, but she was already gone. I remember how much she cried at the end, asking how she could be so stupid. Why isn't she doing that now?"
"Because we're telling her what to do like she's a child and she doesn't like that. She's being stubborn."
Another knock on the door, this time it was soft, hesistant. Jasper was already standing so he answered it.
"Edward. Hey man, come on in," he ushered him inside, closing the door behind him.
"Hey, guys, I'm just here to pick up Lexi," he offered a weak smile, running a hand through his hair.
The guy looked bad. Obviously this fight with Bella was eating him up inside.
"She's sleeping in the bedroom," I told him. "She still isn't seeing reason, but give it time, let her sleep on it. Right now she's being stubborn."
"Thanks for trying, Jacob," he said, patting my shoulder before walking down the hall to the bedroom.
"Wait, you're not even going to see her? You're just going to get Lexi and go?" Alice questioned.
"What else is there to say? Yes, I want to see her, to hold her in my arms, to kiss her, for things to go back to how they were before I left for work this morning, but I can't. I can't be the one to make it better, she has to. She needs to make the decision, not me and not you guys. The only thing we can do is help her make the right one."
I could see the pain in his eyes and how much it hurt him to not go and see her. His body was tense because he was fighting against it, against what it needed. I really wanted to open that door and tell her to get her ass in here, to make up with him, but Edward was right; we can't make that decision.
He came back out with a sleeping Lexi in his arms and Alice walked to the door and opened it for him. She gave him a weak smile as he quietly said his thanks and good byes. "Oh, and tell her I love her."
And with that, Alice closed the door behind him.
We sat in the quiet room waiting for Bella to join us again. About fifteen minutes after Edward left, she did, but didn't sit down, instead walking down the hall to her bedroom. When we heard a loud crash, we knew she realized Alexis was gone and he didn't stop to see her. All three of us stood up and ran to the bedroom when the crashing didn't stop. Bella was picking up books, deodorant, lotion bottles, picture frames, trinkets, anything she could get a hold of and throwing them against the wall.
"That asshole, stupid fucker, can't even be man enough to see me before taking her!" she yelled, throwing a picture of the two of them at the wall; narrowly missing Jasper's face.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Calm down there, killer," I said, holding my hands up in surrender. "Stop throwing shit."
"And, you," she growled, prodding me in the chest with her finger. "You let him leave without saying anything, without coming to get me?! What kind of friend are you?! I thought you wanted us together, to work this out, but obviously you don't! None of you do!"
"You have to fix this, Bella," Alice commented, walking towards Bella and grabbing her hands. "Not Jake, not Jazz, not me. You. You need to show him that he is the one you want, that you choose him over that fucker. It isn't a difficult thing, but you're making it seem harder than it really is."
"Just get out."
"But, Bella," we said in unison.
"No, just get out! Leave, now!" she yelled, grabbing something else to throw but we scurried out of the room.
She didn't follow us because she knew we wouldn't stay. Before I left I told her, "He loves you, Bella. He told me to tell you that before he left. He loves you."
Bella's POV
After I ran them out of my apartment, I continued to throw things off my dresser until it was bare and I hit the wall a couple of times causing my knuckles to bleed. Smart, Bella. After I got all the anger out, I cried. I took my bloody hand, wrapped it in a towel then curled up in bed and continued to let the tears pour. Looking at the cuts, it made me think of Edward and how much I wanted him here to clean up the blood, to take care of me. I wanted to hold him and kiss him in bed like we did this morning, to hit the rewind button and start this day all over again; there's so much I would change.
I awoke with a fright from a horrible nightmare; I dreamt that Edward and I got into a fight. I looked around my room, seeing the various items on the floor and I realized it wasn't a nightmare; it was all real. My heart was aching, my knees stung and my hand was throbbing. Eventually, I sat up slowly and placed my feet on the floor and checked the clock. It was a little after nine. I stood up and my joints popped from the weight I placed on them. I stretched my arms, forgetting about my hand and winced, clutching it to my chest; my knuckles were swollen to the size of grapes and it hurt to touch them. I extended my fingers then tried to curl them, but I could only do it to a certain extent.
I shuffled my feet to the kitchen and grabbed a fistful of ice cubes out of the freezer with my good hand. I dropped them onto a clean towel, gathered the ends together and placed it on the top of my hand. It did little to ease the pain, but I kept it there hoping the swelling would go down. I took a seat on the sofa, curling my legs underneath me and staring at a blank TV screen. I wanted to turn it on, to watch something mindless, to see anything else beside Edward's distress filled green eyes in my head; but I knew it wouldn't help. I thought about going to see him, to apologize, but I knew that wasn't enough.
Edward was right, Jake was right; they were all right. James was bad news, my head knows that, but for some unknown reason, I couldn't walk away.
I wasn't able to fall back asleep; I tried lying down, but all I did was stare at my ceiling fan. I watched it go round and round, shaking. I tried to read, but nothing kept my attention. My mind kept replaying my fight with Edward. Yes, he had the right to butt into my life. Whether I liked it or not; he had every right to look out for Alexis. It goes back to what Jacob said before Edward and I started dating...Alexis comes first; she comes before him and I, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If only I could've seen reason yesterday. I also thought about everything Jacob said to me. I remember that night.
I told James I was going to see Alice, but on my way to her place something came up and she cancelled on me. I didn't want to spend the rest of the night waiting on James to get done at work, so I called Jacob. He invited me to go bowling with him and the group, mentioning that he needed a partner since Leah couldn't come. It was another one of our funtabulous nights full of drinking, joking, teasing and laughing.
I can't believe that night took a complete 180 degrees after I left, I thought as I shook my head. How could I have been so blind? What would I have done if I'd known the truth? Would I have done things differently? Would I still I have ended up beaten on the floor after confronting him? Yes, I'd still be a victim because I was weak back then and he'd still be a monster. A monster; that's how Jacob described James. I'd say he was more like a volcano, lying dormant just waiting for the moment to explode; even giving you a preview of what is going to come before unleashing it all. That's it, it's been right in front of me the whole time; it's not that I think he's changed. I just have something I need to prove to him and most importantly, to myself.
When the sun started to rise, I walked out to my balcony to watch it; the entire time I wished Edward was standing behind me, my back leaning against his strong chest and his arms wrapped around me.
It was Sunday, we were supposed to go to the Cullen's house today for brunch like we did most Sundays, but this Sunday I wouldn't be going. I thought about that as I let the warm water wash over my body in the shower, let it wash away everything that happened the day before. It trickled down my back releasing the tension in my muscles. I did my best to wash my hair and my body with one hand. When the water turned cold, I shut it off and stepped out, wrapping the towel around my body.
"Isabella, what a surprise," James greeted with a smile. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"James, hi," I smiled weakly.
My heart beat started to race at the sight of him standing over me and not in a good way.
Seattle is big, how do we keep running into each other?
"What's the matter, gorgeous?" he asked, taking a seat without my invitation.
"Nothing, I didn't sleep too well," I lied.
"I'm sorry to hear that. How are your knees?"
"They sting a little bit, but otherwise I'm fine. Thanks for asking. So, what are you up to today?" I asked, making pleasantries.
"Relaxing. I try to start my day off with a cup of coffee and this morning I felt the need to come to Starbucks."
"Oh, do you live around here?"
"I do. I live in the apartment building a couple blocks from here."
Well, that explains it.
"Really, how long have you lived there?" I inquired, squirming a little bit in my seat.
"Not long. It's definitely a step up from the rat hole I used to live in."
"Well, that's good," I commented, glancing at my watch. "I don't mean to cut this visit short, but I have to go."
James saw my swollen hand and grabbed it. My hair stood on end from his touch.
"What did you do?" he asked, concerned.
"Oh, you know, punched a werewolf," I answered nonchalantly, standing up and pulling my hand out of his and wincing.
"This looks really bad, Isabella. You should get it checked out."
"Don't worry I will. Edward's coming over and he'll take care of it. That's why I have to go."
"Let me walk you out," he offered, gesturing for me to go in front of him.
I lead the way outside.
"Well, it was nice seeing you. Bye." I waved.
"Wait, are you walking? Let me give you a ride?"
"No, thank you. I like the fresh air." With that, I left James standing in front of Starbucks.
I took my time walking back to my place. My brief conversation with James scared me. I thought about the creepy way he looked at me and I couldn't rid myself of the feeling that he was close by. That feeling was confirmed when I approached my building and I saw him standing there, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.
"Wow, how did I get to be so lucky, seeing you twice in one day and in a span of twenty minutes?" I smiled, pretending to be happy to see him.
"I live here," he replied, taking a drag.
"Oh, this is the new place. I'm glad you like it; it really is a great neighborhood. What's you favorite part?" I tried to be friendly even though I wanted to gauge his eyes out.
"Well, I have a fantastic view," he commented, eyeing me.
"You're lucky, my view pretty much sucks. Well, enjoy your cigarette," I waved, walking up the steps.
I heard footsteps following me and my body tensed. I moved to unlock my door, but he called my name.
"Isabella..."
"Yes?" I said, turning around to face him but keeping my hand on the door.
He was closer to me than I expected. I could smell the cigarette on his breath as he spoke and I scrunched my nose up in disgust.
"Do you mind if I see that view?" he purred.
Did he just fucking purr? Blech!
"Actually, I don't think that'd be very smart. I know that Edward wouldn't want you in my place."
"He'll never have to know." He smirked, placing his hand on my cheek.
His hand was rough, his fingers caloused. I turned my face away from it, my jaw clenching.
"He'll be here shortly," I continued to lie.
"You're lying. Why are you lying to me?" he questioned, the anger darkening his normally sky blue eyes.
I could feel the fear run throughout my body, but I tried not to let it show.
"I'm not; Edward is coming to pick me up. We have a date," I told him, looking him straight in the eyes.
"God, do you think I didn't learn anything about you in our time together? You always drop your eyes at the end of your lies. It's like that night you said you were going to see Alice and I followed you because you did that. And I was right, you weren't with her. You were at the fucking bowling alley with those guys, whoring yourself out. I watched you flirt with them. Do you know how that made me look? My girl, slutting it up with her two exes and another fucker." He shook his head.
"Really? Really, you're bringing that up now?" I questioned, anger evident in my voice.
"What? You can't handle the truth that you're a slut," he commented, running his hand down my chest.
I slapped it away and he slammed me against the door, his fingers grasping my neck.
"Uh," I grimaced, feeling the pain in the back of my head.
That's definitely going to leave a mark.
I tried to push him off but he just chuckled, tightening his grip.
"You can't get away from me. I'm stronger than you, I overpower you," he whispered in my ear.
His body was pressed so tightly against mine, holding me against the door. I wanted to vomit feeling his erection against my stomach. James turned his face and ran his tongue from my jaw up my cheek and ended with his lips on my temple. I dry heaved from just the smell of his breath on my skin.
"Oh, come now, Isabella, that used to turn you on."
"You make me sick," I seethed.
He threw his head back in a hearty laugh.
I could feel the moisture in my eyes, but I would not give him the satisfaction. I was stronger than this, I could fight him off. I just needed to find the strength. I would not be the victim again.
You can do this, Bella. Remember all those self defense classes and kickboxing.
He backed away a little bit to look me in the eye.
"Your hair smells so wonderful," he commented, grabbing a handful and sniffing it. "You're so fucking gorgeous and perfect in every way. I love that you see the real me, you get me. Isabella, you still see good in me. When everyone else abandons me, you're still there. We were made for each other."
"You're fucking delusional," I spat.
He chuckled then his face turned serious.
"I wish you weren't lying. I would love to see your fucking boyfriend see you like this...writhing for me."
He ground his erection against me and I whimpered. I tried to kick him, but he was pressed against me too hard.
"Get off me, psycho!" I hissed.
That's when I saw it, his left hand coming towards my face in a fist out of the corner of my eye. I shut my eyes and prepared myself for the impact.
I didn't even wait for the prickling to start before I made my move; that punch was all I needed to get the strength to hurt him. I grabbed onto his wrist with my left hand and threw the palm of my right up his chin, pushing his face away from me. He loosened his grip on my neck and I knocked it away. Free from his grasp, I kneed him in the groin, knocking him to the floor. I kicked him over and over again in the stomach putting all the nightmares I endured, the pain, the hate I had for him into each blow. And I didn't stop there, I kicked him in the face and stomped on his sides remembering what he did to Quil. My vision was becoming blurry as the tears flooded my eyes.
"I'm not the victim; I'm not scared of you. I am stronger than you, you fucking asshole!" I yelled with each kick.
"Bella! Bella, stop!" a familiar voice yelled, wrapping their arms around my upper body and lifting me up.
"No, I'm not done, I'm not done. He hasn't paid," I cried, wiggling to get out of their grasp.
"Bella, baby, you've done enough," he said, carrying me down the stairs and away from my prey. He set me back on my feet when we hit the bottom floor, turning me around to face him. "You have to let the police handle this."
"I did last time, E-Edward, and he-he-he got out, he found m-m-me. What's g-g-gonna keep him from finding me a-a-again? I have to make s-sure he never comes back," I explained through my sobs.
"No, love. The cops are going to handle it; we just have to call them."
Edward pulled his phone out and dialed 911. He quickly told dispatch where we were, what happened and what we needed, all in one breath. Edward ended the call and turned to look at me. I had my back to the stairs, holding myself as I tried to calm down. I looked up at Edward and his eyes went wide; before I could process anything, he was pulling me out of harms way as he took a fist to the face.
"Edward!" I yelled.
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