Chapter 13

Mack Trucks and Evil Leprechauns

"Bella!"

Hold on Nana, I'll be down in a minute.

"Bella!"

Alright, Nana, I'm coming.

"Bella!"

I hear you, Nana.

"Bella, wake up!"

It's Saturday, Nana, I don't have school today!

"Isabella Marie Swan, wake your butt up!"

Mom?

As soon as I begin to move, my body feels like it's been hit by a Mack truck, bulldozed by a train, and pummeled by a band of evil leprechauns.

"Good. She's alive."

When I carefully crack my left eye open the pain that radiates to the top of my head and out to the side is nothing short of agonizing. As I bring my hand up to touch my throbbing eye, fingers gently wrap around my wrist and hold it in place.

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you."

Edward.

"You took a pretty nasty right hook to the temple."

Everything is fuzzy and my head feels like it could explode any minute. There are only two things I remember. One, that nasty, inebriated idiot who nearly toppled me and two…

"I got hit! I've been hit! Oh my god! Someone hit me!" I quickly jerk my wrist out of Edward's grip and slap my hand against my throbbing eye. "Ow! Son of a biscuit eater!"

"You're gonna be fine, Bella." Rosalie appears at my side with concern in her eyes. "It's just a little nick and maybe a little swelling, too. Here, put this back on your face."

As soon as I notice what she's attempting to put on my face it takes about two seconds for me to get to my feet.

"Was that already on my skin?" I yelp as I start swaying from side to side, and before I hit the ground, my back hits something soft as a pair of strong arms catch me. "It's a sock, Rose! A filthy sock!"

"In that sock's defense, it was washed with the best damn laundry detergent from the dollar store."

I look up at Emmett and then down to his feet. His left foot is shoeless and sockless.

"Oh my goodness," I say as bile crawls up my throat. "It's his sock, Rose? Like, it was on his frickin' foot?"

"It's the only thing available, Bella, and you were swelling like a mofo. So Emmett tore it off his foot and we shoved ice in it. Problem solved."

"Hey, I got rid of the athletes feet about a week ago," Emmett replies with his hands up in front of him. "There is no more itch. Well…kinda."

"I think I'm going to be sick," I reply, while in some serious need of a bleach bath. "I need to go."

I wiggle out of Edward's arms and clutch the side of my face as I make a failed attempt at leaving the bar. When I feel Edward's arm wrap around my shoulders I cringe. It isn't so much that he makes me cringe, it's this entire situation that's making me want to crawl up my own butt and hibernate for the rest of my life.

As soon as I'm outside of the building, I turn to face my blind date and that's when I see it.

"What happened?" I ask, not thinking before I raise my hand and run my finger across Edward's brow. "You're hurt."

"I was defending your honor."

"What do you mean?"

The smile on his face is almost blinding. "I taught that motherfucker a lesson he won't soon forget. He'll be sucking his food out of a straw for the foreseeable future."

"You did that for me?"

"And I'd do it again, too." Edward brings his hand up to the side of my face and trails his fingertips slowly down my cheek. "And again, and again, and again."

The pain disappears and my breath catches in the back of my throat when Edward lowers his face until his lips are just inches from mine. I still myself and get ready for another toe curling kiss when a familiar voice booms right behind us.

"Holy shit! Someone fuckered that poor car up!"

For some reason, one that I cannot explain, I tear myself away from Edward and turn to see what Emmett's blabbing on about and I immediately wish I hadn't.

"Shit! That's my car!"

Until Next Time...

OzellaMarie