Best Friends

By Angelikyte Alexiel

Disclaimer: The usual thing – I do not own any of Twilight, the characters related to Twilight, or even the idea of Twilight. All these things belong to Stephenie Meyer.

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It's strange how you can know someone your entire life and yet have everything change in the course of a single day. I'd known Jacob Black since we were little; making mud pies together in the backyard was something I'd fondly remembered over the years. He'd always been there to laugh with, and to make me smile. In no time at all, we were the best of friends. But I couldn't understand why he had become so…different lately. Sure, there were a lot of people at school that started acting weird when I began dating Edward Cullen, but Jacob was different; at least, I had thought he was. Jake was my best friend. He knew that Edward made me happy, but for some reason, he acted like he almost hated him.

In the same way, though, I couldn't help but get upset when I found out he had been flirting with a lot of the girls in Forks whenever he made his way off the reservation to come see me. Something about it made me uneasy, and I couldn't help but feel funny about the whole thing when I even so little as thought about it. Don't get me wrong, Jake was a good looking guy. Tall and muscled body, russet colored skin, and a smile that stood out in a crowd. He always seemed to find the sunshine in the cloudiest of days; which we always had here in rainy little Forks, and today was no exception.

I leaned against my truck listening to music as I waited for Edward to meet me, as he usually did after classes, closing my eyes as I found myself lost in thought once again. Lunch had been interesting to say the least, and I found my thoughts returning to the conversation Jessica had started while Edward and Alice had still been in the lunch line, picking out foods they wouldn't really eat.

"So, Bella, who's your friend that keeps coming to meet you after school?" Jessica asked.

I looked up from my tray at her. "Who?" I asked, not quite sure what she meant. Edward was usually waiting for me after school, and when I was running early, I would usually wait for him.

"Oh, you know, that guy that stops by to see you when the Cullens go on their camping trips." She replied, acting nonchalant. "That tall, hot guy…" As she started describing him, she bit her lip, and I could feel my face turning red.

"Oh, um, you mean Jacob." I replied, trying to look back down at my tray so my hair would hide the blush in my cheeks. "He's just a friend of mine from when I was little."

Jessica giggled, and I could tell that Angela was studying my reaction for a brief moment before taking a bite of her lunch. I took a bite even though I was suddenly losing my appetite, so Jessica wouldn't get curious.

"Jacob, huh?" she said, her voice beginning to take on a smoky sort of tone. "Is Jacob from around here?"

"No, he's from the reservation." I replied quickly, feeling Edward looking in my direction. I knew he would be able to sense that something was wrong, even though he couldn't read my mind like he could everyone else's. It wouldn't take long before he caught on to Jessica's thoughts and rushed over to sit with me.

Jessica was beginning to giggle more and more. "Um, so is he…you know, single or what?" she pressed.

I may not have been a mind reader like Edward, but I could tell what she was getting at, and found myself fighting the heat growing in my face. I did my best to keep calm. "As far as I know…" I replied honestly, though I felt the urge to lie. "He's a big flirt, though." It wasn't necessary for me to add that small detail, but I found it in my hopes that she would see that as a form of discouragement.

"Bella, did you forget that Jessica is, too?" Angela teased quietly, and Jessica laughed.

"That's what makes it so perfect!" she exclaimed eagerly. "We're two of a kind. What could be better?"

Just as I started searching for a protest, Edward found his place beside me, and I found the strength to regain some of my composure. I felt his hand capture and gently squeeze mine, and his cool skin felt comforting to me. I managed a weak smile as I squeezed his hand in return. Fortunately, his presence ended the conversation before it could go even further; though I wasn't sure how much further it could have possibly gone.

So I now stood in front of my truck, eyes closed as I tried to figure out why it made me so upset. Why should I care if Jessica thought Jake was attractive? What should it matter? After all, I had Edward, so it would only be fair if Jake had someone, too.

At the same time, though…I couldn't help but feel…unnerved by the whole thing. I needed to talk to Jake, see him; as reassurance. For what, I couldn't quite pinpoint, but for something. It was nagging at me, with an obvious name that seemed to temporarily evade my vocabulary. Cool hands suddenly places on my jaw line broke me out of my thoughts, and I opened my brown eyes to meet the amber orbs that smiled lovingly at me.

"Edward." I said softly, smiling what I hoped seemed more real than how it felt. Edward was, and always would be, the love of my life, and I didn't want him to feel any less certain about it because I was having a bad day. Edward looked back at me with concern, so I knew I wasn't appearing one hundred percent.

"Bella." He sighed softly, "Did Jessica say something to upset you today? I could nearly hear her mind screaming from the lunch line about your friend Jacob Black."

I sighed in return. "It's okay." I replied, trying to brush the whole thing off. "I'm just being ridiculous about the whole thing, that's all."

Edward shook his head. "Never." He replied simply. "You could never be ridiculous if it's something you feel. Although," he added warily, lowering his voice so no one else could hear; "I wish you wouldn't be so upset about that mutt…"

All it took was a glance from me and he cleared his throat. Obviously, my expression spoke for me. I didn't like when Edward used his 'nicknames' for Jacob, just like I didn't appreciate the names Jake came up with for Edward. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't just be friends, at least for my sake; but then again, at the same time I did. What with them being ancient enemies and all, I could see where it would put a damper on any possible friendship. Still, though, I would have preferred it if they would at least try to act civilized for my sake. I loved them both.

"Bella, love." Edward started again, wrapping his arms around me in an embrace. "For you, I would capture the moon. I'll try harder to carry out your wishes."

I leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Edward." I replied; truly grateful. I knew that, no matter how hard it was, Edward would always try his best to carry out my wishes, even though I knew he didn't have to. He could have anyone in the world, and for some odd reason he picked me. I didn't think I would ever be able to wrap my head around it.

"Edward?"

He looked down at me with patience and affection. "Yes?" he asked, though I had a feeling he already knew what I was going to say next.

"I think I need to go see Jake today, just for the afternoon. You'll…be okay, right?"

Edward smiled, even though I was sure he didn't want to. "Of course, Bella." He replied, "As long as you promise to stay safe."

I smiled. "Don't worry." I replied, making him laugh.

"Don't go falling in the ocean, okay?" he asked, only partly teasing as he kissed my forehead.

"I'll stay away from the beach." I replied casually. "You'll come see me tonight, won't you?"

"You already know the answer to that." He replied, his silky voice rumbling.

I wondered how I ever managed to get so lucky as to have Edward Cullen in my life. I smiled to him once more before I drove off to see Jacob.

I knew the way to La Push all too well. I had gone there several times with Charlie when I was growing up; every summer I came to visit, and it was like riding a bike when I came back to Forks. I found the way to the Black house on my own without a moment's uncertainty, just as I did today. When I arrived, I found Jacob already outside and on his way to the garage. He stopped when he heard the loud roar of my truck, smiling and waving as I pulled up in the driveway.

"Hi Ja-" I called as I stepped out, interrupted by the usual crushing embraced of my best friend. "Ow! Jake! Can't…breathe!"

"Hiya Bells!" he exclaimed happily, and I could feel a surge of relief as he crushed me. He was still the same old Jacob. My Jacob. He held me for what felt like forever before he remembered my need for oxygen and let me go, still smiling that big smile. "So what brings you here?" he asked happily, looking down at me. Our height difference made him seem like he was ages older than me, though that could have something to do with his being a werewolf. The change in him had brought on other changes in his human appearance; like the build and facial features of a twenty five year old. I felt dwarfish in his presence, but it made me feel safer with him, despite the fact that I wasn't in danger.

"I'm not allowed to just stop by and visit my best friend?" I asked, pretending to be hurt.

Jake frowned and quickly became defensive. "I didn't mean it like that, Bella!" he insisted, "It's just that, well you know, that bloodsucker boyfriend of yours doesn't easily let you out of his sight."

I glared up at him in response to his inappropriate reference to Edward, but unlike Edward's quick attempt to correct himself and please me, Jacob merely shrugged.

"What?" he asked; "That's what he is, after all."

"Jacob Black," I warned; "Don't make me tell Edward to start calling you 'mutt' again. I don't like how you two talk about each other."

"Can't help it, Bells." He replied casually, ruffling his hand on my head; "He is what he is, and I wouldn't be a 'mutt' if he and the rest of the bloodsuckers would have just stayed away."

I groaned. If only I could make them see past their differences. Jake caught on to the groan and offered a wistful smile.

"Okay, okay." He sighed; "If it makes you happy, I'll try harder not to refer to…Edward by any degrading names…in your company."

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Jake." I replied.

"Now then," he said, throwing an arm around me; "I can't very well work on the car this afternoon when I have company. What do you want to do?"

I could feel his hotter than human temperature burn through me in a pleasant way. It brought the blood to my cheeks as I answered his question. "I like watching you work in the garage." I replied; "Really. Besides, I promised to stay away from the beach today."

Jacob laughed. "Like the beach is worse than my garage!" he exclaimed. "Let's go inside for a minute so you can say hi to Billy."

"Sounds good to me." I replied, following Jacob's lead as he left his arm draped over my shoulders. It felt nice being in La Push; almost like a second home if I didn't already feel that way about the Cullen house. As we walked inside I could hear the TV blaring game highlights from one of the many sports I wasn't able to follow. Billy sat in his chair by the TV, and seemed to have already guessed that I had arrived. He smiled as he turned his head to look in our direction.

"Bella, it's good to see you." He said kindly, though I could hear what he wasn't saying laced in his sentence. It's good to see you alive and human.

"It's good to see you too, Billy." I replied politely, ignoring the obvious as he had neglected to speak it. There wasn't any reason to be rude to him.

"So how's your dad?" he asked; "Haven't heard from him in about a week."

"A bit busy with work." I replied, feeling Jacob draw me closer to him. My cheeks began to flame a bit more.

Billy smiled. "I see." He replied casually; "Well, let him know that Saturday's going to be a good day for fishing if he can meet me here."

"Sure." I replied, nodding.

"Come on, Bella." Jacob said, leading me away, "Let's go to the garage and I can show you what I've been working on."

"See you later, Billy." I said, waving slightly. He responded with a simple wave of the hand as he focused his attention on the sports highlights.

Once we were outside, Jacob started talking auto mechanics, none of which I understood, but I knew how much he enjoyed it, so I smiled and nodded as he spoke, and looked wherever he pointed. As he began working on whatever he had planned to fix for the day, he started asking about school, and I answered his questions for a bit, but it made me remember the conversation at lunch.

"So," I said casually, tracing my fingers along the steering wheel of the car; "My friend Jessica asked me about you." Gossip wasn't in character for me, but I wanted to see how Jake would react if he knew someone was interested. I had hoped it would put my mind at ease.

"Really?" he asked, and I could still hear the socket wrench turning in his hand. "What did she want to know?"

Don't get upset just yet, I reminded myself; It's normal to be curious. "Oh, not too much." I replied, trying to remain casual; "She really just was wondering if you were single."

Jake laughed. "And you told her I was?" he asked, sounding amused.

I prepared myself to breathe a sigh of relief. He seemed to think it was a joke. "Naturally." I replied. "Unless that was wrong of me? You're not hiding some secret girlfriend, are you?"

Jacob paused for a brief moment, and I heard the socket wrench turning on a new part now. "Nope." He replied calmly. "What else did she say?"

"Just that she thought you were hot." I told him, still acting casual about the whole thing. "I told her you were a flirt, and she thought it was fitting."

The wrench stopped in mid turn. "Fitting?" he echoed; "What do you mean?"

I looked through the windshield to the upturned hood of the car, where Jacob was standing but hidden from my line of sight. "Jessica's a flirt, too. She thought you two sounded like the same person."

There was no noise coming from where Jacob was standing. He wasn't working anymore; now it seemed like he was thinking. "Really…" he said, pensive. I could feel my emotions beginning to flare. "I might just have to meet her and see how alike we really are."

"You want to meet her?" I echoed, and I could tell my tone had gone up an octave or two.

Jacob didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, I mean, you hang out with some pretty girls as far as I can tell, so she at least has to be easy on the eyes." He replied. "And if she really is as big of a flirt as you say she is, she has to have high self esteem for a reason." He paused again as he mulled an idea over in his mind. "Talk to her when you see her tomorrow and ask if she wants to come with us for a ride on Saturday. This baby should be ready by then, and I'll want to take her out for a test drive."

I actually had to remind myself that the 'her' he was referring to was the car, not Jessica. "Um, sure." I replied, my voice still not quite normal. Was he being serious?

"Cool." He replied, and I could tell he was smiling. I got up from my seat in the car and shut the car door.

"Well, I'd better be going." I said, not really needing to go just yet, but not wanting to stick around. "Someone's gotta make dinner before Charlie gets home and decides to cook for himself."

"'Kay, Bells." Jacob said, crushing me against him one more time. I ignored the usual comment rising in my throat about lack of oxygen, and waited for him to release me. "See you Saturday."

"Right." I replied, offering a weak smile and turning out the door before Jacob had a chance to notice something was off.

As I drove home, I tried to figure out what had come over me. I didn't understand it at all. It was almost like I didn't want Jacob dating someone else; as though he was mine to claim. The thought had my head all jumbled up, and I resisted the urge to drive like Edward as I made my way home. I hoped that cooking dinner might clear my mind some and calm my nerves, but it didn't seem to make any difference. I was all butter fingers as I grabbed the colander to drain the spaghetti noodles, I nearly dropped the glass jar of spaghetti sauce, and I almost forgot to shut the stove off as I prepared the table.

"You okay, Bella?" Charlie asked by the time I sat down at the table, giving me a curious look as I began to twirl the pasta on to my fork.

"Fine, Dad." I replied quickly, shoving the helping in my mouth. Fortunately, Charlie was as interested in prying as I was talking about my problems, so he didn't bother to press for details. Instead, we ate a fairly quiet dinner. It wasn't until I was cleaning up that I remembered I had a message from Billy.

"Oh, Dad, Billy wanted me to tell you that the fishing's supposed to be really good on Saturday if you can stop by the house and pick him up." I called from the sink to the living room.

"Thanks, Bells." Charlie replied from his perch in front of the TV, flipping through the channels to find something interesting to watch. A final clank from my place at the sink and I was done with the dishes. I dried off my hands before making a beeline to the stairs.

"I'm going to go do homework." I said quickly, making my way up the steps. I could hear Charlie acknowledge my plans with an 'okay', but didn't stick around long enough for him to tell me. I slipped into my room and shut the door.

Not long after I had changed into my pajamas and looked over my calculus paper for the evening, I heard a faint tapping on my window. By the time I looked over, Edward was already sliding the window shut. I let out a sigh of relief and waited impatiently for the second or two it took for him to sit beside me, eager to wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his shirt. I loved his scent almost as much as he did mine, though I knew it could never quite be the same. He wrapped his arms around me gently, treating me like the breakable thing he always did, and took a deep breath. I knew part of him burned as he did so, but it felt so special when he did those kinds of things.

"Still having a bad day?" he murmured to me softly. I rubbed my nose against his collar.

"It's better now that you're here." I replied, muffled by the fabric of his shirt. It was true. Even though Jacob had been bothering me all day, just Edward's presence alone made it a lot easier to let it go for the time being. I could deal with it tomorrow when I passed his message on to Jessica.

Edward kissed my jaw bone softly before turning and grabbing my old, worn blanket. "We don't want you catching a cold, now." He teased. I wrapped the blanket around myself hesitantly, making sure it didn't bunch up between us as we lay back in my bed; our usual habit.

"So how was the mu- err, Jacob?" Edward asked me soothingly, stroking my hair.

I ignored the urge to glare at him and instead mentally gave him a gold star for trying. "He was okay." I replied quietly. "I told him about what Jessica was saying at school."

I could feel a smile playing across his lips. "What did he think about that?" he asked calmly.

I frowned. "He wants the three of us to take his car for a test drive this Saturday. I'm supposed to invite her tomorrow."

Edward listened, calm as ever. "And you're unhappy?" he asked patiently.

I paused, trying to find the right words to explain what I was feeling, but found that it was impossible. I still wasn't sure what I was feeling. "I just seem to…the idea makes me uncomfortable."

"Is it because you're worried about Jacob getting hurt?"

Again, I paused. As I thought about it, I had never come across the idea that Jacob could come out of the situation hurt. "No, actually." I admitted. "I'd never thought of that."

Edward hesitated, but only slightly. He seemed a little tense. "Bella, love," he said calmly, "Did you ever think that you might be afraid of losing him?"

As I thought about Edward's suggestion, I realized that he was right. "I didn't think of it that way, but now that you mention it, I am." I admitted weakly. "I don't want to lose him."

Edward sighed and said something that was too quiet for me to hear. "I think you and Jacob need to talk." He said quietly; "You need to tell him how you feel."

I looked up at him, and I knew worry filled my eyes as I gazed into his. "Edward, I don't feel that way about him." I insisted. "I love you."

Edward looked back down at me with all the love in the world. "And I love you." He replied, "But do you love him, too?"

I refused to search for the answer to his question. "I love you." I replied, insistent.

Edward sighed. "I know, Bella." He replied, continuing to stroke my hair. "I love you, too. That's why I think you need to talk to Jacob. I only want what's best for you." He paused for a moment to look in my eyes again. "Promise me you will talk to him about this?"

I sighed. He wouldn't let me out of this one. I didn't know why it was so important to him, but I finally nodded. "Promise." I agreed, cuddling into his marble form as he shut the lights out and hummed to me the lullaby he wrote so I could fall asleep.

So that was part one! Let me know what you think and I'll post part two! =]