The Spotlight is On!

48

Previously...

"That's it, you crazy bitch! You are mine and mine alone!" Jake yelled as he aggressively pulled down my miniskirt, a wicked, nauseating smile stretching across his face. I reacted and punched his nose, blood dripping on my face. He turned his head and spat, blood dripping into his mouth. His stare fell back on me; he gripped my arms tighter, pinning me to the ground, and I opened my mouth to scream one last time when the room lights suddenly turned on.

Shaking, with Jake still on top of me, I turned to see Edward at the door. And he looked pissed. He took one look and ran to tackle Jake off of me. I closed my eyes and curled up into myself, covering my ears and squeezing my eyes shut.

I heard muffled yells and crashing into the dresser and chest of drawers.

"Don't you ever touch my girl ever again!" Edward growled with every punch.

I heard footsteps come up the stairs and Alice and Rose's horrified voices.

"Oh, my God!"

"Hey, what's going on here?"

"Bella!"

"Bella! Oh, my God! Is she hurt?!"

"Don't touch her!" Edward yelled over them both. "She almost got raped by this fucker!"

Jake grunted and I heard footsteps leading past me and out the door. I peeked my eyes, and I saw Jake leaving.

"Don't let him leave the house! Someone call the police!" Edward said.

Rose, livid, was the first to leave the room. Probably to go get Jake, I didn't know. I was still curling into myself in a different world where only certain voices I recognized got through to my head.

I blacked out before I could hear anything more.

I heard beeping near me, and I didn't want to open my eyes. I was still in that different world where everything was just a big blur. My body felt weak, spent, and torn apart.

A hand wrapped around my fingers, but I tried to pull them away.

"Bella, it's me." Edward? I stayed quiet. "Love, can you hear me?" he sighed deeply, releasing my hand, then taking it again. "Bella, I'm so sorry. I'm just, I'm so sorry. I should have been watching for Jake to come in, and before I knew it —"

And when he said his name, my eyes flew open to greet Edward's bloodshot ones.

"Bella..." he started, but I shook my head.

"Is he... is he still here...?" I rasped. "I can't handle him being here; I really can't! I want him out! I want him gone, out of my life! I really can't!" And then, I had trouble breathing, sobbing hysterically.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Edward tried to hug me, and I scrunched away. He sat back in his seat and just held on my hand. "Ja— he is gone. He's gone missing, but the police are on the lookout for him. And, Bella, I'm here for you. Okay?"

I looked down at my right arm he was holding and froze. Patterns of red, blue, and purple traveled around my arms and a cast wrapped around my right wrist. I couldn't imagine what other injuries I had all on my body, and my mental state was fried. Hot tears welled up in my eyes again, and I looked at Edward.

He sighed again and wiped my eyes. I flinched, but he didn't stop. After a while, I started to calm down a bit. He caressed my face, and I took his hand.

"I'm fine. I'm okay; I promise." I said, even though I didn't believe it. And Edward didn't either, but he didn't say anything. He just held tight onto my hand.

- Two weeks later -

As soon as news got out about my... problem, media frenzy happened again. All of the media outlets wanted to talk to me to find out what happened and to ask if Edward and I were still together. I was still trying to figure that out myself. But I knew if I even talked about it with him, I'd just start to cry, and I couldn't deal with it right now. It just got pushed further and further into the back of my mind, being shoved into a door I slammed shut.

Our album got pushed back to March instead of February. That really pissed me off, and it made me so angry with myself. If I hadn't have gotten... attacked, then we would have an album out right now.

The only thing Edward and I talked about really was putting "Standing in Front of You" as the last song on the album.

- March 2008 -

Duo of the Prime's album finally came out.

I should have been happy, right?

I should have been blasting our record, something we'd worked so hard on, all over the streets.

But I wasn't.

I was curled up in my bed, under the covers, trying not to freak out on myself.

I couldn't even look in the mirror because I was just so embarrassed with myself and the way I handled things.

I kept replaying that damned party in my head.

The way he pinched my butt.

Alice telling me not to go upstairs.

Me thinking it was going to be okay.

The way he circled around me like prey.

Did he know what he'd do to me?

Was it planned?

Did he plan to... do what he did to me?

Why did he do it?

I wish I hadn't have closed the door.

That damn door!

Otherwise, more people could have heard me scream.

I buried myself deeper into the covers, hoping to keep these thoughts pressed against the door in my mind that kept threatening to open.

A/N: Should I do an EPOV of the album release party for the next chapter, or just keep going with Bella's POV?