Chapter 27: Family

I woke up to the sound of the TV blasting through the walls. I turned my head towards Edward's side with a groan, only to find it empty, which was more than fucking weird. Sitting up a bit, I rubbed my eyes before I let them roam the bedroom. 

Edward never, ever, leaves me alone in his room.

He typically stays in bed until I decide to wake up, and if by any likely chance I'm sleeping longer than he deems necessary, then the prick annoys the shit out of me until I'm up and swingin,' literally. He claims that he's lazy and patient. I, on the other hand, claim that it's because he can't leave his bed unmade. 

Like I said, the kid has OCD tendencies.

He knows it, I know it, so why deny it?

Climbing out of bed, I used my teeth to tug the elastic band off of its place around my wrist before I put my hair up in a messy bun, scrunching my brows together at the feel of a slight chill running down my body. Lowering my gaze, I groaned as my eyes met my nakedness. "Christ on my inner slut," I grumbled to myself as I stumbled over to the kid's drawers, pulling one of them open as I looked for something to wear and steal. 

Just sayin'.

I snorted at Edward Cullen's color coordinated organization that he referred to as a 'skill,' shaking my head as I grabbed onto a pair of grey sweats and a white tee shirt. Slamming the drawer closed with one of my hips, I took a few sniffs of the fabrics before pulling them on. 

Hey, people. Don't look at me like that. 

Kid's laundry detergent smells superb. 

After walking into his shiny — too clean for a man's — bathroom, I took a hold of my toothbrush and lathered some paste on top of it after running some water over the bristles. Noticing my reflection in the mirror when I went to detoxify my morning breath, I hummed in appreciation. 

I like the morning after look.

So much so, that I want it again. 

But, no.

I don't need Mr. Arrogant knowing how good he is in that apartment. 

Oh, what the hell am I saying? Edward Cullen knows how good he is.

The kid has talent, I'll give him that. 

Again, Bella Swan's not one to deny something that's fucking obvious.

I made his bed — even though I knew that he was just going to remake it later on — before I walked out of his too neat for my taste room. Hearing the TV on, I remembered what woke me up in the first place. 

Who the hell is here?

As I slowly made my way down the hallway with caution, my eyes roamed the dim corners before I would pass them, holding my snort in when it wanted to make an appearance as the mission impossible theme song rang through my mind.

Yeah, as you can tell...it doesn't take a lot to amuse me.

When I reached the living room, I found it empty. After walking over to the entertainment stand, I turned the TV off, thinking that maybe Edward forgot to do so before he left for wherever he needed to be. 

Rare, but likely.

Wait. Does that even make sense?

Mm. It doesn't.

I shook my head, trying to stop the conversation that I was having with no one but myself, for it was beyond weird and was starting to freak me the fuck out. As soon as I swung the kitchen door open, I went to turn on the light but froze as my eyes fell upon a dark figure who was leaning against the counter. "Fucking shit!" I yelped, fear and what the hell running through my system as I got ready to run out of there like I was made for track.

Which I wasn't, seeing as to how...

I'm was on the floor after tripping over my goddamn feet.

I was about to crawl the hell away but froze as soon as the psychopathic killer called out my name, in Emmett's voice. I leaned against the door and quickly pushed myself up from the floor before I turned the light on. As soon as his face came into my view, I whispered his name.

He forced a smile across his face with a small nod. "Hey."

Slowly, I walked over to him and paused when I reached the kid, seeing as to how he looked away from me, like he was nervous, or something. Without any more hesitation, I wrapped my arms around him and laid my forehead against his chest as tears started running down my cheeks. "Emmett," I cried, "I'm so sorry." Leaning away, I looked up at him as his hands rubbed his face in some rough as all hell manner, causing my own to brush them away before gently taking over. "Are you okay?" 

"Of course I'm okay, Kiddo," he gritted, his voice tense as he pushed my touch away. I stepped back a little and placed my arms across my chest, not understanding his narrowed eyes that showed me nothing but frustration. "So what if I just found out that my dad has been abusing my goddamn sister ever since I left for college. So what if I shot him, right? Yeah, I'm cool. Perfectly fine, really." 

"Em," I whispered, trying to grab his hands as he lifted them, "I'm sor—"

"You're sorry?" he shouted incredulously, interrupting me as he turned around and slammed his fists against the counter, completely ignoring my blurry eyes that widened as he continued his assault on the marble, "I can't believe you!" 

"Please!" I yelled, my try of stopping him useless, "You're going to hur—"

He quickly turned around and faced me with an un-amused laugh that instantly killed my words at the sound of it as it echoed throughout the room. "What, B? I'm going to hurt myself?" He grinned, shaking his head. "Don't worry about that, Kiddo. You already took care of it. You hurt me real good, right?" 

More tears ran down my face as I lowered my head. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Emmett." Noticing that he walked away from me, my eyes met his form as he pulled out one of the chairs that were placed around the table, the sound of the legs scratching against the floor deafening. "Please believe me when I say that." 

Taking a seat, he shook his head before he ran one of his hands down his face, avoiding my gaze all the while. "Kiddo, I can't even begin to understand the reason as to why you didn't tell me about this shit from the very beginning."

"This is why!" I yelled, my hands up in the air, "God, man! You over—"

He growled, meeting my eyes with a glare. "If you're planning on telling me...that I am overreacting right now...I suggest that you leave this goddamn room. Because what you saw that night, isn't going to even compare to what I'll do."

I grabbed a hold of one of the chairs and went to sit next to him, but he shook his head at me as he kicked it away. "Are you kidding me?" I asked in disbelief, "Now you don't want me near you, really?"

"I can't even look at you right now."

Yeah.

That fucking burned.

"Jesus Christ, Emmett!" I cried, wiping my stupid tears away, "I told you that I was sorry! What more do you want from me? You're acting as if I kept this information to myself for shits and giggles!" 

He quickly pushed himself away from the table and stood up on his feet, causing the chair that he was sitting on to tip over in his haste. My eyes widened in fear of not seeing his own again as he started heading towards the door. "I can't be here with you right now. His idea was a wasted effort." 

"Emmett, no!" I shouted, running over to him. As soon as he was about to leave, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, clinging onto him as I ignored the pang of hurt that I was hit with when he tensed up at my touch, "Don't go...just...no." 

Taking a hold of my wrists, he pried my hold off of him and turned around to face me. "Stop."

My breathing picked up at the visual of him actually trying to leave me as I pushed myself past him to block the door. "Just...God...Please," I begged, praying that he would just fucking give me some time, "Stop this...avoidance bullshit, for one second, so that we can talk it out like we always do. I can't handle you being pissed off at me...I need you to just...talk to me."

Looking away from me, he shook his head. "It's too late for that, B."

As my hands started to noticeably shake, I shoved them into the pockets of my hoodie as I lowered my head and closed my eyes, already feeling his departure. "Emmett McCarty, you're the only family that I have left."

I opened my eyes, feeling his hands underneath my arms. After lifting me up from the floor with ease, my brother carried me over to the counter and sat me down on top of it before he bent his knees a bit so that we were leveled with each other, face to face. "What family?"

Fucking burn.

My bottom lip trembled a bit before I quickly covered up my mouth with one of my hands, his crystal blue eyes looking into mine with a single brow raised as he waited for an answer. "What do you mean, what family? You and me."

His gaze left mine as he shook his head in disagreement. "Your family is long gone," he told me in a whisper that I heard loud and clear as he started backing away from me, "You fucked it up, Bella. And for that, I'm sorry."

I lowered my head as soon as I heard the door shut behind him after he walked out of the kitchen without another word said. Covering my face, I let go, completely, the only sound in the room my cries as my shoulders practically shook my...everything...from how I felt inside. 

I deserved that. 

---

For the rest of the day, I spent the majority of my time drowning within the quietness that was in my bedroom with the door locked, not wanting any interference whatsoever from Edward as I watched reruns of 'I Love Lucy,' on the TV. 

Don't mock the shit. Lucy was genius.

Rose kept on calling me, nonstop, throughout the day...but after about the twelfth time that she tried to get a hold of me, I put my cell on vibrate, loving that I wouldn't hear Meredith Brook's voice afterwards, for I found out that I wasn't such a big fan anymore, what with her constant tune annoying the shit out of me.

Calling it a night when I noticed that it was past ten o'clock, I took a quick shower and climbed into bed again, trying to get as comfortable as I could after I placed my phone underneath my pillow with the intent of not wanting to miss an important call, such as Emmett's. 

Yeah, I know, friends. Wishful thinking.

I guess, I just...hoped that he would call.

There was no desire for hearing a 'Sorry,' for he did nothing wrong.

Every single one of his words, were true.

I just missed my brother's voice, already. 

---

My eyes snapped open as I felt my cheek...vibrating. 

Emmett!

After throwing the pillow that said cheek was laying on top of onto the floor, I quickly grabbed a hold of my cell phone and flipped it open with one hand while my other one ran over my eyes. "Emmett?" I croaked before I cleared my throat and tried again by repeating myself, "Is that you?"

"Bella?"

Pushing myself up to a sitting position, I looked down at the screen with scrunched together eyebrows, not recognizing the voice or the number. "Who's this?" I asked after bringing the phone back to my ear. 

"James. Sorry, I forgot to tell you that I changed my number."

Laying back down, I closed my eyes in disappointment. "Hi." 

"You asleep?" I mumbled a no in answer as my fingers found the top hem of the blanket that was covering my upper body. "Listen," he continued as I lifted the heavy material up to my face, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep, "I heard what happened with your brother, and I just wanted to say that —"

"It wasn't his fault, James, so don't give me any of that bullshit."

"I didn't say that it was his fault," he replied, earning himself a raised brow from me as I kept my eyes closed, waiting for him to continue. "It's been a couple of days since I've heard from you, so I was just calling to make sure that you're alright." 

"Where are you?" I whispered, wanting to change the subject.

"I'm at this bar, it's called Breaking Dawn." My eyes opened at his answer. Tossing the blanket off of me, I sat up a bit, wondering how he found himself there. "You should come down here for a couple of drinks, yeah?"

"Who's bar-tending?"

"I don't know, I just got here. I'm smoking a cigarette outside."

I shrugged before climbing out of bed, concluding that I probably won't be able to fall back asleep if I even wanted to anyway, the more that I think about the shit. Plus, the offer of alcohol sounds somewhat good right about now. "Alright," I whispered, "What the hell. Give me twenty minutes and I'll be there."

---

Pulling into the parking lot, I sighed in relief as I looked around and found no signs of Esme's car. After parking, I stepped out of my truck and walked over to the entrance, giving James a small smile as he pushed himself away from the wall that he was leaning against. "Hey, you."

He returned the greeting, tossing the cigarette that he was done with over my shoulder. "I didn't want you to have to look for me when you got here, since it's pretty fucking crowded in there." I nodded my thanks, shoving my hands into the pockets of my hoodie as I looked around us. "No offence, but you look like you might need a drink, yeah?"

Returning my attention back to him, I exhaled. "Fuck yeah."

"Come on, then," he laughed, holding the door open for me.

I thanked him with a roll of my eyes before I bent down a bit, passing underneath his arm as I stepped into the establishment that would normally brighten up my mood without delay, except for tonight. As the both of us neared the bar, I groaned when I saw Esme bar-tending. "Oh, this is just...great," I stated with obvious sarcasm drowning my voice as I stopped walking, "Exactly who I needed to see at a time like this."

James nudged my shoulder. "You know that bar-tender?"

"You don't?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, a bit stunned.

Looking over at the bar, he shook his head. "I don't recognize her." 

Huh.

And here I thought all along that Edward and James were buddies. I guess, maybe, they aren't as close as I assumed they were, what with him not knowing Cullen's mom. Or hearing about her, nonetheless. I mean, everyone who's connected to the kid in any way knows how much he cherishes Esme.

I don't know why I lied, but I felt a certain something telling me to do so as I gave the bar another quick glace before shrugging it off in dismissal. "Never mind, man. My mind's playing tricks with me, or something. I thought that she was someone else."

When we reached the counter that I knew Esme wouldn't be working, what with Ralph always taking this side of the bar whenever he was here, James and I took a seat on the stools that he pulled out for us. "So, tell me, B. What have you been up to?"

I shrugged, turning around in my seat so that I could face him. "Same shit, different day." 

"What can I get for you guys?"

I turned my head towards Esme's voice as soon as I heard it, and when her eyes met my own, they widened a bit before she coughed, clearing her throat as she looked at James. "I apologize," she started, avoiding my gaze as she gave the kid who was sitting next to me a forced as all hell smile, "It's been a long night, as you can probably tell, seeing as to how unbelievably packed it is. What can I get for you kids?"

Leaning forward a bit, James raised an eyebrow at me as he took his wallet out of his back pocket, not noticing the quick glance that Esme gave me before she returned her attention back to him as if it never left. "I got it tonight. What are you getting?"

"I'll uh...I guess, a Miller Lite's fine."

He nodded, giving Esme a smile that she returned. "Make that two." I hid my raised eyebrow as Ma turned around with a sweet — and therefore highly suspicious — murmur of 'coming right up,' keeping my attention on James as he kept his own on me. "So, have you talked to Andy?"

I shook my head. "I haven't seen him since that night at the club." 

"Me, either. I've been pretty busy with bullshit that's related to work." I nodded, not really caring about what kind of 'bullshit' he was talking about as thoughts of my brother started running through my mind, distracting me. "I'm thinking about stopping by the house later on tonight," he continued in a slightly louder voice as the music that was coming from the speakers changed its tempo, "You should come with me, if you want, of course."

Giving him my attention, I grimaced a bit before shaking my head. "Nah, I think that I'll pass. I'm just going to have a few and then go home. I'll give him a call, or something...maybe meet up with him later on, when shit calms down a little, you know?"

He nodded, otherwise remaining quiet as he turned around in his seat to face the dance floor. A few seconds later, Esme walked over and placed the beers on top of the counter with one hand as her other one grabbed a hold of the money that James left for her, ignoring my expression of complete confusion as she glared at the back of the kid's head all the while.

And, it wasn't just a glare, people.

It was an Esme Cullen glare.

When James turned around, the woman smiled at the kid, her eyes all of a sudden too bright and more than fake. "Can I get you anything else, honey?" He shook his head at the same time that I did, and she gave him a nod of obvious dismissal before turning her attention over to me. "I'll be here until closing, so if I'm needed, don't hesitate on calling me over, yes?"

I nodded, kind of dumbstruck. "Okay?"

"Perfect," she replied, giving James a quick glance before walking away.

He nudged my shoulder. "Are you sure you don't know her?"

"Yeah," I replied with a quickness that I wished I could take back, keeping my eyes on Ma as she helped another customer, "I have absolutely no idea of who that woman is..." or, of why the hell she's acting like the kid who I was hanging out with was an enemy instead of a friend, I finished in thought.

---

As the night continued, we ended up talking about what we have been up to these past few days. Well, James ended up talking about what he had been up to these past few days, and I pretended like I was paying attention to half of the shit that he was going on about as I drank beer after beer.

Every now and then, I would give him a nod of agreement, or a mumbled reply of "You're totally right about that, dude," and, "I'm so with you on that." At times, I would catch him with pursed lips as he tried to hide his amusement to my obvious uncommitted ass when I realized that half of our conversation consisted of me agreeing to absolutely nothing, since he stated that he had said not one word.

As you can tell, I was definitely feeling the effects of the amber liquid. 

Fuck feeling it, I was goddamn living it.

James said something about needing to take a piss as he stood up from his seat, and I shrugged like do what you gotta do, man, once again not paying him any mind. As soon as he was out of sight, Esme started heading over towards me with narrowed eyes, acting as if I was the one who was in trouble here while I waited for her so called shit storm to begin with a menacing smile, knowing that it was coming.

When she reached the counter, she leaned over it and grabbed a hold of my chin, bringing it towards her and therefore giving me no chance of looking away from her killer eyes. "Go home, right this instant!" she whispered angrily, grabbing onto my bottle of beer with the hand that wasn't practically choking me, "I don't like that kid who you're hanging out with, not at all!" 

I laughed something that was supposed to sound dangerous as I pushed her grip away from me, leaning back a bit as I placed my arms across my chest, so in her game and ready to play. "Tell me something, Esme. Why is the 'kid who I'm hanging out with' claiming that he doesn't recognize you? I don't know about you, but I find that highly suspicious, seeing as to how your son is 'friends' with him." 

Her eyes darkened and I raised a brow in return as I went to grab James' beer. As soon as my fingers wrapped around the half empty bottle, she snatched it out of my hold with a feminine growl and tossed it over her shoulder, keeping her warning-filled gaze on me as I closed my eyes with a grimace, waiting for the sound of glass shattering against the tiled floor. 

Nothing.

Opening my eyes after a couple of seconds, my jaw dropped when I saw Ralph holding the now empty and intact bottle. "Oh, come on, dude!" I shouted as he shrugged, tossing the shit into the trash can, "That little performance was sooo planned! Don't you act as if you're a ringmaster of some sort!"

The man grinned at my narrowed eyes before returning his attention back to one of the regulars who went by the nickname of 'Big Boy Bobbie,' who in my opinion was a 'Boy Boy Pussy,' what with the dude ordering a shot of whiskey instead of being able to handle a glass of it. "Why I don't like the kid is not any of your concern," Esme interrupted my thoughts with a pointed finger, "If you don't leave this bar within the next minute, I am going to call Edwa—"

"Oh, don't you threaten me, Mrs. Cullen!" I growled, interrupting her with my own point of the finger, jabbing hers out of my face. "James is my friend, and I see no problem with us hanging out like true buddies do nowadays, having a couple of drinks. I'll leave when I'm not thirsty anymore."

"Ralph, watch my customers," she gritted with a smile that chilled my bones as she started backing away from the counter, "There's a young girl who I need to take care of." Placing my arms across my chest — like bring it, old lady — my narrowed eyes followed her 'let's handle this in a rational manner' form as she made her way out of the bar. Before I had the chance of standing up, the lady who I deemed an undercover assassin dug her fingernails into my arms with a growl before she quickly pulled me off of my seat. "Who do you think you're talking to like that?" I went to say 'you,' but she covered up my mouth, interrupting me as she anticipated my response, "That wasn't a question that I wanted an answer to, you smart-ass."

I gaped at her curse — like holy hell, did Mrs. Watch-Your-Language really just call me that — as she started pulling me towards the entrance, her grip over my hoodie's sleeve making not following her more than impossible. As soon as she stepped outside, I grabbed a hold of the door frame with gritted teeth. "I'm not ready to leave."

Letting go of my fabric, the evil lady turned around with a glare and faced me before she started taking off her earrings, one by one. "Ms. Bella Swan, if you aren't outside by the time that I finish this sentence, I will have no choice bu—"

I stepped outside, raising my hands up into the air.

Hey, listen, motherfuckers...I'm not a bitch.

Okay.

When it deals with this lady...maybe I am.

Lying.

I most definitely am.

Not going to deny it.

Stepping to the side, Esme waved one of her hands in front of her as she silently told me to proceed. I rolled my eyes at her smug-filled smile, lowering my arms down to my sides as I walked past her. As soon as I saw Edward leaning against my truck, looking all sexified while he smoked a cigarette, I turned around with a groan of annoyance. "God, Ma! Your son didn't have to pick me up, I'm perfectly capable of getting myself home!"

The devil herself winked at me with a smirk before she turned around to walk back into the bar that I wished I hated, the desire of wanting nothing more than to bomb the place a false hope. "Go home, get some much needed rest, and call me tomorrow."

At her departing words, I ground my teeth together as I stomped over to Edward, who raised an amused eyebrow at my growl as he tossed his cigarette down onto the floor with one hand, the other one catching the keys that I threw at him. "Shut up," I simply spat as I headed towards the passenger's side of my truck, "One word from you, and I'll snap your neck."

---

When we reached the door to our apartment, the kid whose mother I wanted to cause harm to barely had the bitch unlocked before I pushed him aside in some impatient kind of a way that caused a small laugh to escape his throat as I stomped into the living room. "Jesus Christ, Bella. Fucking relax." 

"What...did I say?" I growled, turning around with a glare.

He raised his hands up into the air. "Not one word. Got it."

Hearing him locking up, I walked over to the kitchen door and threw my leg back before I kicked the motherfucker with vengeance. "Cocksucker son of a gun!" I hissed, jumping up and down on my good foot as my other one started throbbing like mad. In the process of bending over to alleviate the pain, my forehead decided to smack the wood that I wanted to take my anger out on a second ago. "Mother...EFFER!"

Remaining quiet, Edward placed his arms across his chest, hiding his grin quite well from my narrowed eyes as I kept them on him, silently daring the kid for its appearance while I tried to pull my chucks off of my feet with the one hand that wasn't leaning against the wall, supporting my balance.

Honest to God, I just wanted to hit something. Or, someone.

And, that is where Edward Cullen comes into play.

I wasn't mad at him, per say. I was just...beyond livid, man...

About everything. The whole goddamn situation.

I started spitting out every curse word that ran through my mind as I continued thrashing about in some manic kind of a way with one leg up in the air, my more than irritated fingers trying to rip the uncooperative chucks off of my feet that wanted nothing but fucking freedom!

"Bae, are you...alright?" I froze to glare at the kid's smirk, warning him with my eyes that serious injury will — most definitely — occur if he — moronically — decided to continue. "I mean, I know that you have some sort of a strong connection with your chucks, but Christ. It can't be all that serious, yeah?"

Gritting my teeth, I leaned against the wall and lifted one of my legs up to my chest. Using both of my hands, my extremely pissed off fingers started tugging on the laces like it was their job to do so. Pushing myself away from the support that I evidently needed after numerous seconds of getting nowhere, I performed a spin that was only meant for ice dancers, seeing as to how I fell on my ass with a hiss of "Fuck!" after I lost my balance.

Edward snorted as I sat there on the floor, like I'm going to kill you.

Kill him. Not the chucks. Never the chucks.

"If it was up to me, I'd vote for your advance to the next round." Standing up in some slow kind of a way after hearing his statement that only further ticked me off, I dug into one of the jean pockets that were covering my ass and grabbed a hold of my cell phone. His jaw dropped in shock after the solid that I deemed a weapon connected with the side of his face. "What the hell, Bella?"

I ignored him as I turned around to push the kitchen door open. After stomping over to the counter, I bent down and grabbed a hold of the whiskey bottle that was hidden in the cabinet that was placed underneath the sink, not paying Cullen's appearance any mind as he entered the room that I was in. As soon as I had the shit untwisted and ready to drink, Edward snatched it out of my fingers. "You are just...asking...for it."

"I think that you had enough for one night," he stated with a shake of his head as he walked away from my 'ready to perform an execution' being. My eyes widened in 'oh hell the fuck no,' as I watched him toss the bottle into the trash can after...emptying it, wasting my only source of alcohol that was available within the apartment.

"You should call the cops."

He raised an eyebrow at my advice. "And why should I do that, Bae?"  

So, I charged for him. I gave him a suggestion that he chose to ignore.

He grunted when I jumped on his ass, immediately placing his hands over my hips as he tried to push away the vice grip that my legs had around his waist. Stumbling around the kitchen as I continued pulling on his hair, he growled after a few seconds of unsuccessful disentangling and slammed me against the wall before his fingers took a hold of my wrists, ignoring the hiss of pain that his aggressiveness caused me, which I instantly returned by taking a large bite out of his neck. "Motherfucker!" 

After giving my wrists a sharp tug, he lifted my arms and placed them above my head with a glare, keeping his furious eyes on mine as he took a hold of both of my hands in one of his as his other one quickly found my ankle. "Unwrap your legs from around me, Bella...or I'll squeeze the tendon out of your goddamn Achilles." 

I couldn't help but grimace at the kid's threat...

For anything touching that area creeped me out. 

My ass was about to meet the floor again as I instantly let my legs drop, but he quickly grabbed a hold of my waist and held me up for a second before he placed me on my feet, his entire demeanor dismissing. "Christ," he gritted, running his fingers through his hair as I looked away from him, suddenly feeling bad for taking my frustration out on the kid as said kid's shake of the head caught my attention, "What the hell is wrong with you, Swan?" 

Feeling nothing but ashamed, I mumbled an apology before I left the room, and as soon as the kitchen door swung shut behind me, I lifted my gaze from the floor and was met with a glaring Rose who had both of her hands over her hips. "Why are you ignoring my phone calls?" she asked, her voice hard.

"Rose," I whispered, "Whatever you have planned...now is not the time." 

"Fuck that nonsense!" she growled in a tone that was a whole lot louder than I desired, "What? You think that you're the only one who's affected by this bullshit, Bella? It's my life, too!" 

"Keep your goddamn voice down," I hissed, narrowing my eyes at her. 

She gasped, laying a hand over her chest. "Am I being too loud for you?" 

I rolled my eyes at her sarcasm as I walked further into the living room, knowing that she would follow me as I headed towards the front door that she evidently had a key to, her predictable tag along not surprising me at all, what with the broad not being done with what she had to tell me. "Listen, Rose..." I started as I turned around, "I get that we should talk about...whatever, but...Edward's home right now, and honestly, I really don't need him getting himself involved, which will happen if you continue with all of your unnecessary shouti—" 

My eyes clenched shut as the bitch full out screamed, like she was auditioning against Jamie Lee Curtis for some scary movie that was bound to make her millions. After about seven seconds of nothing but shrillness that practically pierced my goddamn eardrums, I just about had enough, so I ran over to her and covered up her mouth. The scavenger bit right into my palm and I hissed in pain a second before the both of us turned around to the sound of the kitchen door slamming against the wall. 

At the visual of Edward stepping out of the kitchen with his eyes on me and the aim of his gun on the broad who was standing next to me, I groaned, rubbing both of my palms down my face as Rose's hands flew up in the air with a whisper of "What the hell?" leaving her being.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, now you fucking keep your voice down." 

Noticing Rose's glare, Edward broke out of his shock and mumbled an apology to her as he quickly shoved his pistol into the waistband of his jeans. "I just...I heard screaming, so I thought that..." he paused, noticing my anger as I placed my arms across my chest, returning my attention back to the broad who brought this shit on. "What the hell is going on here?" 

She gave my shoulder a hard push that had me stumbling back a bit, not expecting it. "Tell me why you're avoiding me," she ordered, ignoring Cullen's question, "I haven't done anything to you, and you're acting as if I have."

"Rose!" I growled, "I'm fucking exhausted! I'm not doing this right now." 

"You're not the only one!" she hissed, stepping up to me, feeding my fire. 

I threw my hands up in the air before I pushed her away from me, not appreciating the silent threat that her body gave mine with its approach. "I know that I'm not the only one, Rose! Everyone is fucking affected, I get it! It's my own goddamn fault that this shit happened, and I fucking understand this!" 

Rose shook her head as she lowered it. "Emmett's right." Edward placed his arms across his chest, standing nearby but otherwise out of our way as I waited for her to continue. "You fucked up," she whispered, meeting my eyes again. "And because of that, my boyfriend is going to be behind bars for God knows how long." 

Ignoring Cullen's short laugh of disbelief that echoed throughout the living room, I looked away from her, unable to handle the pure coldness that her eyes gave mine. "Rose, I'm...I don't know what else to say, except that I'm sorry." 

"Fuck you," she spat, pushing me back. I raised my hands up by my shoulders as I kept my eyes on her own, stumbling from the force of her shoves as they continued gaining momentum on every step that she took towards me, "No, honest to God, Bella...fuck...you!" 

Edward took a hold of her arms after she pushed me into the wall that he was standing next to, his expression full of shock from not understanding what was going on. "Rose, what the hell are you doing?" he asked, quickly pulling her away from my still form as she went to come at me again, "Stop treating her like that." 

Ignoring the kid's incredibility, she yanked one of her arms out of his grip with a growl before she pointed a single finger at my face, smiling at the frown that showed up over my features. "I fucking hate you." 

I was about to tell her that I was sorry again — for I didn't know what else to give her — but as her palm met my cheek with a loud thwack after she flung her arm back, my apology was replaced by a sharp and completely unexpected inhale. "Jesus Christ, woman!" Edward shouted, grabbing a hold of her as he kept his eyes on my own that were filled with nothing, dragging her away from me, "Are you out of your fucking mind?" 

"Let go of her." Cullen froze at my whispered demand, keeping his hold on my thrashing friend as he narrowed his eyes at me. "The girl obviously wants to let it out," I continued, "So, let her go, Edward." 

A certain understanding passed through the kid's gaze after a few seconds, and when my only wish of giving Rose an outlet for the anger that dominated her system was granted as his hands left her, I raised my own up in the air as she started walking over towards me, silently letting her know that I wasn't going to hit her. Grabbing a hold of my shoulders, she pulled me forward without a word, only to slam me back into the hard surface that I was previously leaning against before she placed her face right in front of mine. "I fucking...hate you," she cried, "I never thought that I would, but I do. I fucking hate you, B." 

I nodded, looking into her eyes as my own teared up. "I deserve that." 

"God!" she screamed, her trembling fingers taking a hold of the front of my hoodie, "You don't even understand!" I let my arms drop down to my sides, letting her take it out on me as she started with the pulling and pushing again, simply because she had every right to do so, for I had a part of ruining the future that she had planned. "I hate you, I hate you, I...fucking...hate...you!" 

Well now. 

My back after a few more slams into the wall? 

Holly hell. 

No lie, it won't shock me if the shit was broken. 

Noticing the pain that I was trying to hide, Edward ignored my shake of the head that begged him for not interfering as he quickly placed himself in between Rose and I, his body tense with receiving a hit or two from the girl who didn't notice his presence until he gently pushed her away from him with one hand at the same time that he placed his other arm across me. "I think that you proved your point, Rose. Enough, alright?" 

She laughed, looking at the two of us as she placed her arms across her chest. "Well, isn't this an interesting thing to see," she whispered, "I'm glad that someone won't be alone when this shit actually goes down." 

I shook my head at her words as I pushed Edward's arm down to his side, taking a step forward so that I could stand next to him and therefore, be a bit closer to her. "Rose, don't act like this," I whispered as she started backing away, her retreating form slow but measured, "It's not as if you don't have me and J, or even Cullen here. Hell, Carlisle and Esme ado—" 

"I have no one!" she cried, interrupting me. 

I glared at her. "That's bullshit, and you know it!" 

"You know what I know, Bella?" she asked in a broken whisper that made the irritation that her previous declaration created within me vanish, "I know that I'm..." her voice caught as instant tears overshadowed her eyes, causing my own to burn something that wouldn't be shown. Clearing her throat, she lowered her head. "I know that I'm fucking pregnant." 

My jaw dropped at the same time that Edward groaned a few curse words, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes went down to the floor. Snapping my mouth shut after countless seconds passed us in nothing but eery silence, I shook my head, thinking that I must have heard her wrong. "I'm sorry, you're what?" 

"You heard me," she said, meeting my eyes again...

Causing my own to bug the fuck out. "Pregnant?" 

She simply nodded in answer, looking away from my shocked-as-shit being as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Another thing that I know is that...my baby's father won't be around for it, because of you." 

Edward's jaw tensed a bit from the truth that effortlessly left her mind and made its way into my own, where it quickly imprinted itself there with no argument from its owner. "Now that right there is fucking uncalled for, Rose. I've heard enough of your bullshit, and I'm sorry to do this but, if you're going to keep on spitting that goddamn nonsense, then I suggest that you leave." 

Turning around, she nodded. "That's perfectly fine with me." 

I went to follow her, for I had a million and one questions that I needed answers to, but Edward grabbed onto my arm and stopped me as I went to take the first step. "Rose, wait." Looking over her shoulder when she reached the front door, she paused. "Don't go, shit," he tried, "I didn't mean to kick you out like that. Let's just...why don't we all sit down and...I don't know, talk about this, yeah?" 

Meeting my eyes, Rose gave me a tight smile as she pulled the door open, dismissing Cullen's attempts of keeping her here, at a place where she noticeably felt un-welcomed. "I appreciate all of this, Honey B. Really. Good job." 

After watching her step out into the hallway, I cringed at the sound of the door slamming shut behind her as I bent my knees some, letting my hands run along my face with a groan. "Oh God. I can't...even think about what..."

This means.

Edward walked past me to lock the door. After turning around, he leaned against it with his arms across  his chest, and when I noticed the slightly narrowed eyes that were directed at me, I raised a brow as I straightened myself up, wondering about the kid's all of a sudden pissed off demeanor. "What, exactly, did your brother say to you this morning?"

I rolled my eyes at the topic that he wanted to discuss, placing my hoodie over my head. "Rose just dropped a goddamn bomb on me by telling me that she's going to be a fucking mother to a child whose Pop won't be here for its birth, and you're interested in talking about bullshit that I find completely irrelevant right now, really?" 

"What did Emmett say to you, Bella?"

I shook my head, mumbling that it didn't matter as I walked over to the couch. Taking a seat, I leaned back and closed my eyes, thinking about what this meant for my brother, wondering if he even knew about the shit that I was told. "I can't believe that Rose is pregnant, man...this whole thing is just...beyond insa—"

"It does matter," Edward tension-filled voice above me interrupted. I opened my eyes at once, only to be met with him standing in front of me. "Bella, you actually believed all of that shit that Rose told you."

"Edward, it was nothing but the truth." 

"Bullshit," he growled, showing me the irritation that my statement gave him as he ran his fingers through his hair, tugging here and there. "I didn't let him come over this morning, only to fucking ambush you, Bae...and that's exactly what he did! He gave me his goddamn word, and he broke it without a second thought about the shit!"

"Just let it go, Edward. I'm not worried about that right now." 

He bent down a bit so that his eyes were leveled with my own before he took a hold of my chin with the intention of keeping my attention on him, letting his other hand rest on top of my knee. "Did Emmett say anything insinuating that what happened that night was your fault?" I shook my head, trying to keep my gaze on him but failing miserably, seeing as to how he groaned an "Unbelievable," straitening himself up. "I love how you fucking lie to me, man."

Watching the kid with nervousness as he walked over to the TV stand, I stood up when he grabbed the keys that were placed next to the cable box. "Edward, come on, where are you going?"

"Emmett's."

I quickly but carefully ran up to the front door and blocked it before he had the chance to reach it, my denial of providing him an escape earning myself a roll of the eyes as he walked over to where I was standing. "It's not worth it, Cullen. Please, just let it go."

"Fucks sake, Bella! You're acting as if I'm planning on killing the kid."

"You don't need to go there," I tried, "It's...there's no reason for it."

"Yeah, there is," he calmly argued, ignoring my groan of disagreement as he placed his arms across his chest. "I want to know what he said to you this morning, and if it's what I think it is, then I'm going to handle it." 

"Edward, fuck, just...stop with this bullshit and listen to me for a second!" I snapped, pushing him away from me, wanting nothing more than to lengthen the distance that he had with the front door. "No offense, but...I got his. I don't need you to handle anything."

Before I could even think about anticipating his next move, the prick replied with a grumble of "Too bad," as he quickly picked me up, his arms supporting my body weight as one went underneath my knees while the other one found its home against my back. I closed my eyes in defeat as he carried me over to the couch, his soft snickering rubbing it in. "Awe, come on, no worries. I mean, it's alright to lose sometimes, Bae. You can't always be like me, yeah?"

"I hate you."

"As I, you." My eyes snapped open when I felt his lips pressing themselves against my forehead as he went to give the skin there a kiss. After pushing his face away from mine with a glare that was directed at his wide grin, I yelped as his hold left me before I huffed, landing on the cushions that I would be spending the rest of the night laying on top of. "Don't wait up."

Fucking Great.

Just...grrreat.

---