James

Chapter Five

"What if I fall? Oh, but my darling what if you fly?"

Bella's POV

"Shit."

"What, what's wrong," James asks as we sit outside of my house. "Oh nothing thanks for the ride and see you tomorrow," just that my father is home when he shouldn't be and I know for a fact that when I walk through that door things are not going to end well.

With that, I quickly get out of the car, shut the door, and head inside my house. I don't hear James leave till I make it inside. Why does he care if I make it or not, wouldn't he be happy if something happened to me. I shake my head at my thoughts and prepare myself for my father.

I shut the door behind me and take a deep breath already knowing what's about to come. "You bitch where were you!" My lovely father yells. "I was at school dad," I say not looking him in the eye.

"Don't lie to me, Bella!," My father yells. "I'm not lying," I say and automatically regret it because he's gonna punish me for talking back. "Don't fucking talk back to me you ungrateful child," He says and then slaps me hard across my cheek.

I know not to put my hand on my cheek to ease the pain knowing it will anger him more. I also know not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry so I hold back the tears that are so desperately trying to come out.

"Go head to your room and make sure to cover that up for school tomorrow," and with that, my father walks away probably to get a beer and watch TV.

I head to my room, shut the door, and fall to the floor with my head in my hands. But I don't cry because I'm used to the pain and I don't have the energy left in me to cry right now.

I just feel numb, but I can't tell if I like feeling this way or if I would rather feel something than nothing. It's a sucky and confusing feeling and sometimes it just makes me feel worse.

I can still feel the burning of his hand on my cheek and I also feel a little blood moving slowly down my cheek.

He must've hit me hard enough to make a cut. So I go to the bathroom to clean it up and put a bandage over it so it doesn't get infected.

Once I'm done I go back into my room and flop down on my bed face first. I then scream into my pillow to get all the anger and hurt out of me, I scream in my pillow as if it'll make my life all better.

I get done screaming and I flip myself so I'm laying on my bed facing the ceiling. Then a wave of sudden tiredness passes me and I feel my eyes drupe down and give myself away to the darkness.

I wake up to my alarm and without any nightmares.

I don't wake up tired like I usually do due to me falling asleep at 5:53 pm last night.

I get up and go take a shower and get dressed in tight grey ripped jeans, a white sweater that hangs of one shoulder, and black combat boots.

I then straighten my hair and head into the kitchen to get something to eat. I decide on a banana because I don't have a big appetite in the morning, sometimes I wake up hungry and other times I feel like the thought of food in the morning makes me sick.

I then hear a car pull up outside my house which is probably James.

I finish my banana and head out the door to see his jeep. I see Josh roll down the back window and say "Get in pretty lady you don't want to be late." I roll my eyes playfully and smile at him and get in the passenger seat.

Josh is definitely the flirt out of the group and is funny. Owen is the more quiet and kind one and James is the serious bossy one.

I want to chuckle at the image of James with his arms crossed and a cold glare on his face, but I hold it back.

I buckle my seat belt and wait for James to start the car but he doesn't.

I look over to see him staring at me and I give him a confused look. I then look behind me to also see that Josh and Owen are staring at me too.

"What, why are you guys staring at me?" I ask.

"What the fuck happened to your cheek, you have a bruise there!" James yells, he almost seems mad, why would he be mad. But then I realize that I forgot to cover up the bruise when I was getting ready for school.

Great now people are gonna stare.

"Umm nothing really happened, I just tripped and fell no biggie," I say and look at James who seems like he doesn't believe me but lets it go. Thank god.

He starts the car and drives off not saying another word. We arrive at school and I get out and start walking to the entrance when a hand stops me.

I turn around to find James towering over me. "You are gonna tell us what really happened to your face after school got it?" He says. I nod my head and he lets me go, I turn around and walk into the school feeling people's stares on me.

I get to my first class and see that Lily is there sitting in the same spot we were in yesterday. She sees me and automatically smiles at me, but that smile disappears once she sees my cheek.

"What happened to you?" she asks with a worried look on her face.

"Nothing I just fell down the stairs at my house," I say and she nods and I thank god that she believes me because I don't want to have to tell anymore people about what my dad does.

It's lunchtime now which means I have to sit with the three douches. I invited Lily to sit with us since she is my only friend and she was hesitant at first but I convinced her to sit with us.

We walk over to where the boys are sitting and sit down.

They lift their heads to see us and glare a little at Lily who cowers back a little in fear. "Who is this and why is she sitting with us," James asks and I roll my eyes. Just typical James, being all cranky like an old man for no reason.

"I invited her to sit with us because she's my only friend here," I say and Lily whispers to me that she is gonna go get lunch and I nod.

Once she's gone Josh speaks up "I thought I was your friend,'' he says with a fake pout.

I roll my eyes and say "please you're only around me because you have to be."

Then Josh says, "I don't know I actually am starting to like you, pretty lady." I see James roll his eyes at his friend. Then Lily comes back with her food and we all make meaningless small talk.

But when I look over to Owen I see him staring at Lily and automatically know why. He likes her! He sees me staring and I wink at him and he blushes.

It's now after school and I begin to walk to my car when a hand grabs my arm and pulls me against the wall...again. I look up and see James, "you were gonna tell us what happened to your cheek remember?" he says. "Yes but my car is still here and I don't want to talk about it at school." I say and look to James with a questioning look silently saying what do you suggest.

He says "fine we will go to your house and I'm not taking no for and answer." Well I hope my dad isn't going to be home early like he was yesterday because if he is all hell will break loose.

We get to my house and I get out of my car and the boys get out of James's car.

I see that my dad's car isn't here which means he didn't come home early from work. Thank the lords.

We walk inside and I take the boys to the living room so we can sit down. "So tell us about the bruise little one," Josh says.

"Ok well, I'm just gonna flat out say it"... "I got it from my dad," I say and look at the boys to see their reaction.

They all have confused looks on their faces. "What do you mean?" Owen asks. Good god can they be any less dense. "I mean that my dad likes to use me as a punching bag, do you get it now," I bite back.

I wince at what I just said out loud, maybe I was a bit too much forward with it.

Then James gets up and walks angrily out my door and slams it shut. I look at Josh and Owen and give them a questioning look but all I get back is shrugs.

What the fuck is his problem.