Friday, August 5, 2005

"Bella!"

"What?"

"Take those damn things out of your ears," my father snapped. I paused the music on my iPod and removed my earphones, irritated.

"Shit, what do you want?" My parents had been on my case ever since graduation, it was seriously pissing me off.

"Do not talk to your father like that young lady," my mother placed her perfectly manicured hands on her hips, "Bella, your father and I think its time we had a talk with you."

"Mom, Dad," I said calmly, "I'm not a virgin, I know how everything works, this conversation would be a waste of your breath." My father's face turned a shade of red that I had only ever seen on my lobster dinner plate, "Isabella Marie! I will not have your disrespecting attitude in my house!"

If only I had a dollar every time he's told me that.

"Bella, we don't-" my mother started.

"We're cutting you off, Isabella," my father stated.

"You're what?" I said, unable to comprehend what he just said.

"You heard me," he answered, "your mother and I are cutting you off. No more money, no more support, no more house."

"You can't fucking do that!"

"Language, Bella," my mother warned, a wrinkle threatening to mar her botoxed face. That sent me over the edge. I jumped to my feet and stood nose to nose with my mother.

"Fuck that! What kind of parents does this to their fucking kid, what am I supposed to do?"

My father became infuriated, "Isabella, this here is the exact reason why we are doing this. You've taken all that your mother and I have given you for granted, you only ask for more and more. Its time you learn how to earn for yourself. And yes, we can do this; you're nineteen years old, an adult by legal standards. We've decided you have until next Friday to find a job and a place to live," he nodded and crossed his arms over his pastel purple polo shirt.

I snatched my iPod up and put it in my back pocket as I turned to leave.

"Bella," my father said. He had his hand held out, palm up.

"What?" I snarled.

"iPod."

"You're kidding me right?" He said nothing, only raised his eyebrows and extended his hand further to me. I pulled my precious iPod from my pocket and slammed it in his hand as hard as I could.

"This is fucking bullshit," I spat as I ran up the stairs to my bedroom.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

"Let's go, whore," Jessica said from my bed. I puckered my freshly glossed lips, and swept one more coat of mascara over my eyelashes. I looked over myself in the full-length mirror once again, my dark wash jeans hugged my legs and ass perfectly, and my favorite sleeveless, black sequined shirt dipped low in the back and front. Jess joined me and I scanned over her outfit approvingly, she wore tight black jeans with a red tank top and black leather jacket.

I buckled my red high heels, "Okay slut, I'm ready," I said to Jessica. I moved in with Jess and her grandmother after my parents kicked me out of their house. This house was large enough for five people to live comfortably, so I was able to move in all of my shit that my parents allowed me to take from their house, which were only things that I had bought or at least contributed something towards earning. So, all I had now was three suitcases full of clothes, a duffle bag of shoes and a box of childhood mementos. I had yet to find a job and was running out of the money that I had saved. I had an interview Monday morning at a restaurant that Jessica worked at; she had put in a good word for me.

We grabbed our clutches and left the house. I loved living with Jess' grandmother, she never asked us to do anything, always had us meals to eat and let us come and go as we pleased. Moving out of my parent's house was beginning to be a great thing.

Tonight, we are going to the newest club in Seattle, Club Ridiculous. The bouncer let us right in, I knew our outfits would work to our advantage tonight. Stepping into the club was like stepping into a sensory overload. Club Ridiculous lived up to its name; it was, well, ridiculous. There were three levels of dance floors that were connected to each other by ramps. Underneath the floors were lights that transitioned from blue to pink to lime green. The music was loud and you could feel it thumping in your chest. People were everywhere, wall-to-wall gyrating bodies.

We found the bar and using my awesomely convincing fake I.D., I ordered two Cosmopolitans and handed one to Jess. We downed our drinks quickly and made our way to the third level dance floor. We pushed our way through a circle of drunken men and saw that they were all staring at two girls dancing in the center of the circle. I spun around and started grinding on Jessica, she responded by grabbing my hips and moving along with me. The crowd of men turned their attention to us and cheered as we continued our show, moving seductively along with the pulsing neon lights and the beat of the music. I dropped down and came back up slowly rolling my hips as I turned back to face Jess.

I planted a kiss on Jessica's lips and the crowd went wild in response, "We put on a pretty good show," I whispered in her ear.

"Fuck, yeah, we do!" she laughed. I glanced over her shoulder and that's when I saw him.

He stood out from the crowd because, unlike the rest of the men in the club who were cat-calling and drunk, he stood stone-still, his arm locked around his chest. He wore an expression of mild intrigue. I slowed my dancing and focused in on the stranger. He had on a graphite colored suit with a black shirt and tie. His skin was deep tan and his eyes were a dark, rich brown.

I could hear the disapproval of the crowd as I quit dancing and moved over to where the stranger was.

"Hi," I said sweetly.

"Hello," he responded, followed by an awkward pause.

I brought my hand up to his collar and smoothed it out, "So, did you like what you saw?" I smiled and looked up at him through my eyelashes, guys couldn't resist that.

"I'm not exactly sure what I saw," he smirked, "You might have to refresh my memory."

I slowly rolled my hips around until my back was to his front. I grabbed his left hand with mine and snaked them around to waist, he held on firmly as I started moving against him.

"Ah, now I remember," he whispered right in my ear as he spun me around to face him, his dark eyes burned with intensity.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Jacob Black," he responded. I had heard that name before but I couldn't place where, "Your's?" he asked, moving a strand of hair out of my face and resting his hand gently on my cheek.

"Isabella Swan," I answered, my heart began to beat wildly.

"Isabella Swan," he said lifting my hand to his lips, "would you like to get out of here?"

"I'd love it," I smiled.

June 7, 2009 Sunday: Present Day

Sunlight poured into my eyes and the scent of citrus filled my nose. I rolled away from the blinding light and pulled the ugly motel comforter over my head. I heard a piece of paper crinkle and I looked at the pillow next to me to find a note.

Good Morning, Bella.

I got you an orange for breakfast; it's next to your bed. I'm in my room if you want to talk. I reckon we better get going soon.

Edward

Edward. Had he stayed the entire night?

I threw the blanket off of me and sat up. Every inch of my body ached. I slowly made my way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I was shocked at what I saw. I looked absolutely horrible. My skin was red and blistered, my hair looked like a small animal had made a home in it, and a huge bruise had blossomed on my head from my hairline extending to my left eyebrow. My eyes were swollen and bloodshot from my night of crying.

I dabbed my face with a cool wet rag and sighed in relief. I tamed my hair as best I could with my fingers.

There was a plate of orange slices sitting on my bed-stand. Edward was so thoughtful. I bit into a slice, it was wonderful. I didn't realize until then just how hungry I was. I devoured the orange within a minute and decided to walk next door to Edward's room.

I knocked several times but he didn't answer. I tried the handle, it was unlocked. I let myself in and could hear the shower running. A voice rang out over the sound of the water.

I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when,
I'm stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps a rollin' on down to San Antone..

Was that Edward singing?

When I was just a baby my mama told me. Son,
Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns
I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowing; I hang my head and cry…
I bet there's rich folks eating in a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee and smoking big cigars
I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free
But those people keep a movin'
And that's what tortures me...

His voice was amazing, it was deep and sultry, he sang with soul and that southern draw that was really growing on me. I sat down on his bed, I didn't know what he was singing but I only wanted to hear more of it…

Well if they freed me from this prison,
If that railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line
Far from Folsom prison, that's where I want to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away...

The water turns off and I listen to Edward moving around in the bathroom. When he stepped out I thought my heart stopped. Edward had on only a pair of faded, worn out jeans, his wet hair hung down in his eyes, and drops of water fell from the strands and ran down his chest.

"How did ya sleep?" he asked as he dug around in his bag and pulled out a red shirt.

"Okay, I guess," I stated, "Um, what song were you singing in there?"

He smiled, "You heard that?" I nodded, "That is Folsom Prison Blues, by my man Johnny Cash."

"Oh, one of your friends wrote that?" I asked.

Edward's jaw dropped, "Shoot, I wish. Do you not know who Johnny Cash is?" I shook my head, "You've got to be shittin' me!" he exclaimed, "Johnny Cash? The Man in Black?"

"Nope, sorry," I said innocently.

"Holy Hell, Bella. You've got some learnin' to do," he gathered his things and stuffed them into his duffle bag, "Are you ready to hit the road?"

I sighed loudly, "I guess sooner, rather than later would be best in this situation," Edward nodded and picked up his bag.

"Let's go, Sweet Pea."

I'm picking this up again, although I don't have a definite update schedule. Thank you for reading, let me know what you think!