Chapter 1- Shattered
"I'm sorry Jake, it was never you…it was always Edward…"
It was the beginning of the end when he stood outside Bella's house in the pouring rain. The cold punch of understanding was repressed by the hammering rain against his entire body.
She looked at him, with no sympathy and with no understanding; letting him take it like the man he was supposed to be. Letting him know in the most realistic way possible, and crushing him in the process.
"Never…" the words felt different, falling from his lips. Like a ghost of a past feeling.
She didn't reply, but simply let her eyes tell him that he had been a fool; a child that had been played at a game he was too naive to understand. He had been led along like a puppy and then feed to the wolves themselves. She watched as they tore him apart, and smiled as he yelped in agony. She smiled.
He felt ashamed, and he felt embarrassed, and used and betrayed and lost. The memory of walking back to his bike, and blitzing it down to La Push dissolved in the rain, but the moment it hit him would forever be ingrained in his memory. Walking into his room, and dumping his gear as he headed back out into the storm was when it hit him, like lightning he felt all the suppressed emotion fire through his body, and as his feet hit the cold muddy ground that lead to the woods, he felt the anger pump straight to his heart. Then he was gone; running faster and faster through the unknown darkness. Higher and higher he went, not looking back or thinking twice. It pushed him further and further trying to force it all out, make it go away. The pain was unbearable, and it stemmed further than the physical push of his muscles. His head and his heart ached for what he had lost-for what he had never had and for what he would regret. It was cold and it was sharp, making the tears burn down his face whilst his jaw locked tight, holding back the scream that begged for release.
At the top of the mountain, standing right on the edge of the cliff, he stopped to take it all in, and let it all go. The sea below was a perfect reflection as the waves crashed violently against the rocks, slowly destroying it, slowly eroding away the weak outer surface. Loose chips of rock were dragged down into the darkness, never to resurface.
As the storm rode away, and the sea calmed before the sun could rise, Jacob felt a change. His heart was slower and his head had stopped aching. He opened his eyes to the clear night sky, and watched as the distant stars made patterns and pictures above him. It was silent, and it was cold. He took a deep, refreshing breath, and let this change wash over him.
The forest stretched high into the grey sky as a soft drizzle gravitated towards the worn tarmac of the road leading to forks. This was the new, bleak beginning for Nessie, which she neither feared nor rejoiced. A constant life of travel left one feeling out of place nearly everywhere, as there were no roots to grow from. This time round she was in Forks, a small, quiet, unassuming town. She hoped their similarities would help her transition smoothly into her new 'life'. Hoping was something Nessie did often…
Pulling up to the small, white, weathered cottage, Nesssie felt her stomach tightening with nerves and anticipation. This would be her new home, for however long her dad could stay for. It looked nice enough from the outside; with wooden paneling down the walls and faded blue paint rimming the windows. The brown wooden door looked new and different from the original work, and stood out against the weathered materials. There had definitely been some refurbishment, such as the slate grey porch roof, that ran across the front of the house and the new wood of the steps leading up to the door showed it had obviously been repaired recently. Well at least it looked stable, and that's all she needed.
"Ness! Would you look at that, home sweet home!" her dad chuckled with excitement. He always did find the change of scenery more exciting than she did. She supposed he was used to it, seeing as he had been part of the same godforsaken company for the last 20 years. Something about healthcare, something about technology and something about promotions meant she had spent the majority of her life moving from city to town to city. Her dad swung open the door of their beat up land rover and stretched his aging limbs. He wasn't in bad shape for a man reaching his 40s. With a full head of brown curly hair, cut to a controlled length on his head, he still managed to woo the younger generation of women with his charming smile and gleaming hazel eyes. But that wasn't all the women liked; her dad had always been an outdoors guy, who liked nothing more than a morning run, rock climbing at the weekends and swimming in the summer. He had a healthy figure, with strong arms and a firm chest, which nessie loved nothing more than to cuddle up to. Her dad gave the best hugs.
Nessie slipped out the car and stood by the boot of the truck, ready to get started. She knew that when she had her personal belongings set out in her new room, and the kettle on for a nice cup of hot chocolate, it would all feel better. They started with the heavy boxes; but there weren't that many of them as her dad had come by the previous week when all the large furniture was delivered. She carried the box of electrical appliances into the kitchen whilst her dad unpacked the roof box.
It was a nice kitchen, a square with three rectangular windows along one side, to let in what little light there was outside. The surface was dark wood and the walls were pale blue. Their old kitchen table was placed by the wall furthest from the windows and their usual comfy chairs stood ready and waiting.
The rest of the house had a similarly friendly feel to it, with light blue walls and dark green carpets. It suited their red furniture well, and gave a burst of colour that made the whole place seem cosy. When all the big boxes of pictures and kitchen appliances were finally unpacked, Ness could start on her own boxes; the same that had been with her from the start. They never grew like she did, because there were few things in nessie life that she called her possessions.
Her room was a good size, at the back of the house up the creaky stairs, with dark purple walls and her beautiful oak double bed smack bang in the middle. There were two bay windows, one at the far end opposite the door and the other on the wall nearest the foot of her bed. Things were looking better, and she could start to see herself liking this place after all.
"Ness! Hot chocolate is ready!" called her dad from the kitchen.
A shit weekend, followed by an ever more fucked up week at school did not sound like the answer to Jacobs prayers right now. He chucked on a clean t-shirt and hooded jacket and said bye to his dad before sprinting to his bike and hitting accelerate all the way to forks high. He couldn't be late this week; he was already on a warning.
Tearing into the small parking lot, he eyed up his usual spot and found it…taken? What the fuck!
"You have got to be fucking with me" he growled under his breath. He pulled into the space next to the traitor bike and ripped off his helmet. People were staring; they knew that was his space, no one ever took his space. Fuck the little shit that pissed him off today.
Without a second glance he stormed towards the main building, determined not be late for his first class. When he entered the bustling crowd, his ears were assaulted by unattainable whispers. As he stalked along the corridor to his locker, he managed to catch the conversation of two gossiping girls behind him.
"She looks local, but I swear I have never seen her before"
"Well her attempts to fit in unnoticed failed majorly, I mean, did you see her hair?"
"Oh god yeah, I could spot her a mile away. I never did suit that colour"
"Good luck to her making friends, I doubt anyone wants to be seen with a redhead!"
"Unless it's Edward Cullen!"
They both giggled
"So true!"
Jacob slammed his locker door, and the shocked girls tottered off to class. That name; frickin' Edward Cullen. His day had just gotten even worse…
She had made it. She was safely inside the old, crumbling building in her first class, and there had been no heckling, no cornering and no annoying people begging to be her new friend…yet.
Nessie sat silently in room 101, waiting for the rest of her English class to join her. She guessed it wasn't a big school, from the fact that room 101 was the last room in the entire school. She found that rather nice, to have a school so small and personal. On the other hand, such a small school could only mean that gossip spread fast, and making enemies would not be a good idea. There were fewer cliques here than she usually expected, but that didn't mean she hadn't spotted the invisible line of order the moment she stepped past the doors.
The coolest and richest kids were all at one end of the main corridor, and then it went down in order until the most disliked or antisocial ones were by the entrance, waiting for the bell to chime so they could escape.
Nessie didn't have a locker yet.
Finally the other students began to file into the room, and when they noticed the new girl sitting casually at one of back tables, the whispers began.
She was used to it, so she couldn't complain. Everyone wanted to know the new girl, work out what she was in their society and how they could associate themselves with her. Nessie knew that within a week they would all have forgotten she was there and she would just be another face in the crowd. For now, however, she had to endure the stares and the smiles and the usual twenty questions that came with being an outsider.
However, before the invasion could begin, the teacher entered and, seeming to know immediately that she was the new girl pounced on her for an introduction "why hello there Nessie, I believe you are the new student. Would you like to come up here and introduce yourself so we can get this lesson started?"
He was a man around 30 with blonde hair and a charming smile. He wasted no time in getting Nessie introduced, and when the usual buzz had died down, he set to work on their next task.
"Everyone take a copy of Donne's poetry, and open up at page 23 entitled 'the flea'. Uley, you can read it, and then we will tear apart the analogies…"
Okay, so he was going to be late, and it wasn't even his fault!
After hearing the girls swoon over Cullen he wanted to punch something, but to reduce his destructive habit, Jacob left the main building for a quick smoke on the back field. Right now it was the only thing stopping him from punching someone and being kicked out of school. He didn't understand why he was so angry all the time, but it couldn't be helped. He had always had a reputation to be one of 'those La Push boys' who rode hard and drank heavy.
But then he met Bella, when she moved back to forks. She helped him stay calm, stay grounded, and they had such a good relationship. Until she met Cullen, and from that moment on it was all a competition for her affection and trying not to break Cullen's stupid face.
He took one last drag before crushing the evidence, and then made his way back for English. On the way past the parking lot he spotted them; holding hands and laughing as they walked towards the building. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled, lightly shoving him for his obviously sexual comment. Jake stumbled slightly, and they both looked in his direction; Green eyes of victory and Brown orbs of shock as she realized who was watching them.
Jacob couldn't get away quick enough; he lengthened his stride and shoved his hands deep into his pockets, hiding his quaking fists. He barreled through the doors and stomped down the hall to his class. He didn't give a fuck what Mr. James said, he would take any punishment to get away from 'them'.
"Well hello Mr. Black, how nice of you to join us. Please take the remaining seat and pay attention, you have a lot to catch up on."
Jacob sensed the sarcasm and slipped quickly into the empty seat at the back of the room. He barely noticed the girl next to him until she spoke.
"Do you want to share my copy?"
He looked at her and only then noticed that she wasn't usually in his class. She was a redhead, with pale skin and a thin figure. Not much of a rack, and too big eyes. She wore a pair of reading glasses and bit her lip constantly. He already had no interest in her.
Without answering he turned away and pulled out his own copy of the poetry book. He could guess what the work was and didn't feel the need to bother the new kid next to him for the rest of the lesson.
So they worked in silence, elbows occasionally touching whilst their pens tore relentlessly through sheet after sheet of paper. To Jake, analogies were a load of bullshit. Why not just say what you mean? Dragging it out is not only cruel but fucking infuriating.
When the bell rang Jacob flew from his chair and stomped out the room. Nessie just sat there, watching, and came to the conclusion that he was both angry, and beautiful.
Nessie had never felt as nervous in her life as the moment Mr. Black had entered the classroom. Everyone had gone quiet and focused on their work, avoiding the sight of the huge guy that stood at the front of the room, at least a foot taller than Mr. James. He was broad and strong looking, but Nessie knew from the reaction of her classmates that he was also feared.
She couldn't make out his facial features as his dark hood fell low over his brow, and the shadow made him look faceless. He made no answer to Mr. James' annoyed remark, but made his way to the seat next to Ness.
She could have crapped herself. She was so worried that the slightest movement might have him in a rage that she almost didn't offer to share the book with him. However she wasn't expecting him to react the way he did when she did finally offer; he slowly turned to her and looked her up and down. Nessie barely caught a glimpse of his face as the shadow of his hood was in full effect. Then without a word, he turned back to his bag and pulled out the book and his writing pad.
He could have said 'no thank you'.
She was beginning to get angry at the faceless prick next to her, until he lowered his hood, and then she wasn't sure what to feel.
His jet black hair was short and messy, with strands falling over his eyes. He had a strong jaw line, with the barest shadow of stubble visible from his profile view. His skin was a beautiful bronze, which made him look warm, even in the cold classroom. Nessie couldn't see the colour of his eyes, but she guessed they would be as dark as his mood.
For the rest of the lesson, concentration was at an all time low. She just wanted to look at him, constantly. She frowned slightly when the bell rang, and the only interesting part of her morning fled the room.
The cafeteria was the second most daunting part of her day; Nessie swept the hall for any sign of a clear table or free bench. She wasn't really the type to run up to strangers and make herself known, so she simply stood in the entrance, unsure of what to do next.
A petite girl danced past her, in what she guessed was the direction of one of the tables. Suddenly she stopped, spun on her heel and beamed at Nessie. Her pixie style, raven hair was a contrast to her soft angelic features and fair voice.
"You must be the new girl. I'm Alice" she held out her hand for Ness to shake, but before Ness could react she had already grabbed her hand and began to pull her towards a rather crowded table at the far end of the hall.
"Oh no, please don't make me sit there!" Nessie hissed, noticing the number of people occupying the small space, and all watching the pair as they neared them. They were like a pack of wolves, the alpha female and male raising their hackles at the sight of the new pup. The rest were on guard, ready to protect the pack.
Alice stopped suddenly, almost sending Nessie into the back of her.
"Ok" She said "well do you want to sit separately? I can't just leave you all on your own"
"uurrm, ok then" the fact that this girl seemed so desperate to sit with her was quite surprising, but they changed direction and wandered towards a small table that was clear of any other students.
Nessie dropped her bag in a heap and pulled out her paper bag containing a jam sandwich and green apple. The morning had dragged on for what felt like forever, and she was starving.
Alice just sat there and watched her, both patience and curiosity in her baby blue eyes. It was sort of unnerving that she watched her so intently, so Nessie decided to break the ice.
"So…Alice, tell me a bit about Forks high" God she sounded like a teacher or parent. To be honest she wasn't really sure what to say, and Alice's height did make her feel superior.
"well, where to start!" her excitement was scary, and she began to go through the social allocations of all the students in the hall, what their interests were, who was dating who, who was bitching about who and what Lauren did with Tyler last week. It became apparent that the wolves they had been faced with earlier were the popular kids; envied by some and adored by others. She didn't go into detail about them, whether it wasn't her place to or she just felt she shouldn't, the topic was avoided.
Alice was the same age as Nessie, but revealed that the majority of her friends were two years above. She gave the impression that she got along with everyone, which didn't sound surprising as her positive attitude was infectious, and Nessie found herself asking question after question, curious to know everything from this all knowing angel.
Lunch was going well, and Nessie felt like she was finally going to enjoy her first day, when the hall grew quiet. The two girls stopped talking, and Nessie turned to look at the cause of the silence.
Entering the hall was a group of around seven guys, all of them tall and broad with bronze skin and dark hair. They walked close together, with confidence and control, taking on the stares of any other guy that tried to defy them.
"They are known as the 'Pack'" Alice stated, low and informative "there's Quill, Embry, Paul, Seth, Jared, Colin and Brady. Then there is their leader, if you want to call him that…Jacob Black"
The last name had a hint of emotion behind it, whether it was resentment or fear, Nessie didn't know, she was too busy watching with a heated gaze as Jacob strode through the hall towards a table near the other large group.
As Alice had already stated; that side of the hall was occupied by the popular kids, which made no sense, as Jacob seemed to be feared rather than adored. Alice seemed to notice this:
"Let's just say that things have changed recently in the social standing of Forks High. All you need to know is that Jacob has issues and its best to stay clear of them."
The hall went back to its buzz of chatter, but Nessie couldn't seem to draw her eyes away from the beautiful angry boy on the far side of the room.
After lunch Alice led Nessie to her next lesson, history, which dragged on for another centaury until Nessie was ready to pull her hair out. Luckily she was saved by the bell, but then had to endure the last lesson of the day; Gym.
She hadn't thought she would need kit on her first day, so managed to win a pass from the lesson, but had to sit and watch everyone fling tennis balls around like their life depended on it. This observation proved to be quite comical as Nessie realized that some of these students seemed to have never picked up a tennis racket in their life.
When the torture lesson ended, Nessie dragged herself to her new locker where she gathered all her books. She was about to turn and leave when she felt a hard figure hit her in the back. She held onto the locker to keep steady, and turned to face a rather impatient Jacob Black.
Suddenly it felt a lot warmer…
"Watch where you're walking" he barked, glaring down at her with onyx eyes.
"Sorry" she mumbled, unsure whys she should have to apologies in the first place.
"Fucking new girl" he mumbled under his breath, making another move to get past her
"Excuse me?" Nessie felt the anger rising in her voice "Is this how you treat every new student?"
"Unless you're the chiefs' daughter, I couldn't give a fuck. Now get out of my way before I make you." He growled, his tone threatening, and only enhancing the fear that nessie felt.
He made to move past her, but, in a moment of shear stupidity and bravery, Nessie blocked him.
"Are you deaf? I said move!"
Nessie stood her ground
"What is your problem?" she spat, feeling the anger rise in her voice
"Right now, You"
"No, really, why do you feel the need to act like this towards someone you don't ever know?"
"And why do you feel the need to piss me off?" he growled
"Are you always like this? To everyone?" she probed, curiosity holding her anger in check.
"If you stick around long enough you'll find out for yourself" and with that he barged past her, making her trip in the process.
Nessie felt herself gravitating towards the lockers, but strong arms pulled her upright before she made contact.
"Are you ok?" a deep voice asked, still holding her steady.
"Yeah, thanks, I'm fine." Nessie watched Jacob storm out the main doors before turning to face her savior.
She was shocked to see a face, similar to Jacobs, staring down at her. The boy had a kind smile and warm chocolate eyes that made her feel secure in his hold around her shoulders.
"I'm Seth. Sorry about Jake, he's got a lot of issues, and I don't think your argument helped much."
"Uh, that's ok; he just didn't need to take it out on me."
He let her go and smiled softly "yeah I know. Well, as long as you're ok. I'll see you round." And he pushed off the locker and made his way after Jacob.
Nessie sighed. Today had been the most interesting first day she had ever had. She felt tired now, and fed up, not to mention slightly pissed off. Pulling her bag over her shoulder she made her way out of the school to wait for her dad to collect her.
A couple of meters away, a watchful pair of jade green eyes followed her closely. They watched her leave the building, and followed her out to the edge of the road where they saw her jump into a beat up land rover and ride away. He'd wanted to help her earlier, and had felt helpless when she was saved by another. But he had to keep his promise, and he knew he would never find out what was going on if he didn't stick to her rules.
There was just something about her that made him think he's seen her before.
Nessie had gone home feeling pissed off and vengeful. This wasn't her usual response to good looking well built dickheads, but she could make exceptions…
He was on time and in the right lesson. Today was going to be better than yesterday, and even the prospect of seeing that annoying little new girl would not dampen his mood.
He had gone home feeling angry and worried. Angry because of the petty little argument he had with the new girl, and worried because he had never intentionally meant to make her trip. When Seth caught up to him in the parking lot, he told him there was no need for that.
"She looked pretty shook up man. And she's not even that big, at least have some common decency man, you could have really hurt her."
Fucking Seth and his good nature meant that whenever Jake makes a mistake, he would end up feeling remorseful. The kid was just too damn nice. So today he had decided to apologize to the girl, and hopefully she would turn to mush when he hit her with the charm and flexed his muscles. All would be forgiven.
It was strange really, that on her second day she had made one new friend and one new enemy. The rest of the school still seemed besotted with the idea of her, and she felt her confidence falter at all the stares and whispers as she made her way around the school. Alice had waved at her from the parking lot, and Nessie had noticed the Silver Volvo she stood by, surrounded by the people who intimidated her at lunch the day before. They still held a cold gaze towards her, but this fizzled out as Alice smiled and winked at her; almost a silent promise that everything would be ok.
When she entered the English classroom, he was already there. Sitting at her table with his books already arranged. He was relaxed, with his hands behind his head, and his legs stretched out fully so they pushed against the legs of the chair in front. Today he was wearing dark blue jeans with big black boots. His grey T-shirt stretched tight over his long, hard torso, and Nessie felt her heart skip as his eyes caught hers and he grinned.
Oh my, that smile. It was both dangerous and alluring. He maintained this look as she made her way towards him and sat down in the spare seat. It was definitely hotter in here than it had been outside, but Nessie didn't want to move, incase this whole allusion of kindness fell to pieces.
"So you're called Nessie right? And that's short for?" he had turned in his seat, and sat up taller, making him even more intimidating than before.
She didn't know what to say! Was this the same gut as yesterday? She stared, dumbstruck by his change in character. This had to be a joke.
"Renesmee, but everyone calls me Nessie." She whispered, waiting for the moment Jekyll or Hyde popped out.
"Nice. Well I'm Jacob Black" and he stretched his hand out to shake.
This had to be a set up, was this guy serious? He had shouted at her in the corridor, ignored her in the previous lesson and now he wanted to reacquaint? Nessie just stared at his hand in surprise. Jacob seemed to notice her confusion and dropped his hand.
"Look, I know we didn't get off to a great start yesterday. I was having a rough time and I shouldn't have let it out on the new Girl. I'm sorry for what I said yesterday, can we please start over?" he put on his best innocent face and waited for her reply.
It wasn't what he expected
"Until you learn to control your multiple personalities, I don't really want anything to do with you" she stated, watching with satisfaction as the smile on his face fell to a slim line of distaste. "Everyone has issues, that's no excuse for the way you treated me, so no, apology not excepted and I think we should carry on just as we are."
With that, Nessie swung her bag onto the desk and removed her books, then after dropping the bag on the floor, she proceeded to read in silence.
Jacob was stunned.
The rest of the class began to filter in, and he just sat there, staring at the profile of this infuriating girl until Mr. James started the class.
Bitch. Absolute utter infuriating, redhead! He had tried playing nice, it hadn't worked. If she wanted them to carry on as they were then he would do that, after all, Jake liked to think of himself as a nice guy…
Nessie felt good. The whole 'throw it back in his face' move had worked a treat, and now she could hope and pray that he wouldn't bother her again. Unless he wanted to keep sitting so close to her…the feel of his warm side against hers was rather nice, and distracting…
"Could you move over a bit…please" she whispered, as she tried to keep her eyes on the presentation ahead.
He didn't move. Did he hear her?
She nudged him, trying to give a hint, but either he was engrossed in the poem about a flea, or he was ignoring her.
"Jacob, move over!" she hissed, getting a bit too warm from his touch.
Nothing
Nessie sighed, and pushed her chair in the other direction, so she was perched on the edge of the desk, practically hugging the leg of it.
Here was silence for a moment, until she heard the creak of a chair, and Jacob moved closer her way, stretching his arms out and slouching in his chair. Dick!
"Do you mind?" spat Nessie, no longer paying attention to the presentation
Jacob smiled at her, sexy and cocky all at the same time "no".
They stared at each other for a while, waiting for one of them to back down. Onyx against Emerald. The intensity grew until the bell rang, and they tension snapped as they distanced themselves.
"Remember to start the research for your poetry presentation. We will start presenting at the end of next week, so I want commitment people!"
Mr. James reminder didn't seem to register as Jacob stood to his full height, making Nessie feel like a munchkin. Without looking back, he left the room.
He may be the most annoying person she had ever met, but damn was he sexy.
That wasn't the last incident she had with him; later that morning when she exited a classroom, he was waiting, and in her shock she walked into him and dropped all her things.
"Watch it" he spat and moved around her, leaving Nessie to pick up everything in the midst of a crowded corridor.
"Thanks a lot" she mumbled as her fingers got squished and her legs got knocked.
Then just before lunch he barged past her, sending her almost into her open locker. He didn't look back and he didn't apologize.
She was knocked, walked into, tripped, and growled at whenever she passed him; which seemed too frequent for her liking. On the plus side, she had a lot of male attention every time there was an accident. And some girls were kind enough to help her collect her things. So for every knock, there was a friendship made.
By the time it got to lunch, Nessie had a dozen offers to join people in the cafeteria, but she turned them all down when she saw Alice waiting at their table.
"Jeez, someone got popular. Is it ok for me to sit with you or am I not worthy?" she mocked, referring to the mill of people that had crowded Nessie as she entered the hall.
"To be perfectly honest the only company I want right now is your" Nessie sighed, flopping into a chair.
"Oh that's so sweet Ness, but, I don't feel I can be in a relationship with someone I barely know."
"Ha-ha" drawled Nessie as she dug in to her lunch. She felt exhausted and annoyed.
Alice noticed this with a frown "what's wrong?"
"Jacob Black"
That statement alone seemed enough for Alice to Swing her chair around she they were next to each other.
"What has he done" she asked "is he bothering you?" she seemed quite panicked.
"Nothing serious. Why? Should I be worried?" Alice's reaction seemed strange, like there was something she was hiding.
"Oh, okay then"
"No Alice, what is going on? Is there something I should know?"
She looked nervous, like it wasn't her place to say anything. But the tone in Nessie's voice left no room for avoidance.
"Jacob wasn't always an angry guy. He used to be like sunshine. That seems like a strange thing to say but he was. I have never known someone who could light up a room the way he could. It's not just his smile or his face; he was so positive, and so caring of everyone. Everyone liked Jacob, he never had any problems.
"There was even a time when he and Edward were close. You've heard of Edward right?"
Nessie shook her head, but watched as Alice looked over to the crowded, scary table. She noticed a gorgeous young guy with copper hair holding hands with a girl. They were smiling and laughing lightly at their own private joke. They were the picture of a happy couple, and Nessie felt her heart twist for some unknown reason.
"That guy right there is Edward. My brother."
Nessie stared at Alice in shock. She was related to that beautiful boy? But when she looked back at him, she saw the resemblance. They shared the same poker straight nose and ivory skin, the same rose lips and dazzling smile. She knew the occupants of that table were two years older, so it wasn't surprising that they could be related. What was surprising was the way Alice mentioned him, as if she regretted their attachment. Nessie knew the feeling.
"At one point, Jake and Edward were good friends. They were the two handsome guys who had to fight off the swooning girls. That was, until Bella arrived. About two years ago she came to Forks to stay with her dad Charlie, he's the Sheriff. When she arrived things changed.
"Jacob had known her previously through the family. When she arrived he tried to rekindle their friendship, but since she was older she wasn't that interested. She wanted Edward. It's true, they had chemistry since the beginning, but as they got closer, Jake was pushed out the limelight."
"So he's angry because he is less popular?" This was the most pathetic story Nessie had ever heard.
"No it wasn't the popularity. Edward and Bells began to date, and they were inseparable, they still are. But Jake got left behind, and his friendship with Edward became strained. Everyone could see that Jake liked Bells. He seemed to be coping well until the summer Edward went to England to see our relatives. Bella hadn't wanted him to go, saying she would miss him too much, and Edward had never been very good at keeping girls before so the rumor was that he was trying to break up with her gently.
"So over the summer, Bells got close to Jake again. They spent so much time together, at parties and always at the beach. It was getting pretty heated until Edward came back, and Bells practically leapt into his arms again. Jake was hurt, a lot. By now the idea of him and Edward being friends was history, and the rejection was too much. He started getting into fights and stuff, drinking and driving, vandalizing property with his La Push friends. Bells and Edward tried to stop him but he was just too upset about Bella.
"They are in love; Edward and Bella, and there is nothing Jake can do to stop that. There was this party a couple of months ago, when Jake had this huge argument with Bella, she wanted to be friends but he couldn't do it. He tried to kiss her and she rejected him. But later that night, word got round that Edward had kissed some girl. It wasn't true of course, Edward wasn't even there for most of it, but Bella didn't wait to ask and went and kissed Jake, in an attempt for revenge. At the time they tried to keep it secret, but she couldn't hide it from Edward and he forgave her, he knew she was just confused about her feelings.
"Jake tried to confront her about it, but she publicly told him there was nothing going on, and that he should just 'grow up and move on'. He was hurt, but something must have happened at the weekend for him to get like this."
So it was love that made him like this. Nessie watched the couple that had destroyed Jake, and sighed. They really did look so happy, there was no way Jake could have come between them…no one could.
The next few days went by in a blur, with nessie trying to stay on top of work and settling into her new home. Her dad worked a lot so she was left alone a lot of the time, giving her time to think about Jake and what Bella did to him. It was cruel, using someone and their feelings in that way. He seemed to have built this hard exterior which he used to shoulder away every feeling and comment.
His attitude hadn't gotten any better, and he still managed to get on Nessie's nerves. They would sit in silence during lessons, of which they shared two on most days. However, sometimes she could feel his gaze on her, burning at the surface of her skin. The nerves never ceased, and she continued to keep her guard up in case he lashed out again.
It was a constant battle inside; to keep her from getting angry at his unnecessary comments or fighting back when he argued with her.
She saw him in the parking lot as the last bell rang, and chased after him.
"Jacob! Hey, stop!" she panted, dodging parked cars in an attempt to catch him in time
He turned and glared, recognizing that annoying voice anywhere, but for a second, he had mistaken it for someone else…
"What do you want?" he growled turning back to continue out of the grounds. He had caught a lift this morning to avoid being late, but wanted to have some solace on the way home.
"I just, can we talk please?" she seemed hesitant, but kept up with his stride.
They carried on walking for a while, both headed in the same direction down the path carved through the forest.
Jacob stopped abruptly "well?" he spat "are you going to talk or not? I'm not in the mood for one of your pathetic attempts at making me apologize."
In truth, she had forgotten what she wanted to say the moment they had left the school grounds. Her heart was racing with nerves as she thought about his potential anger, and she wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him anymore. But his attitude sparked the memory of her talk with Alice at lunch and her curiosity.
"I heard about you and Bella Swan." She started, not sure if she should carry on.
"What about her" it wasn't a question
"well I understand why you're so angry, and I'm sorry."
Something flashed in Jacobs eyes, and he dropped his bag as he took a step towards Nessie. He was so close and so quiet it scared her, as he glared down at her in distaste.
"You're sorry? You're fucking sorry! For what exactly, because last time I checked it was nothing to do with you! In fact, I don't know why you're talking to be about it as it's none of your business!"
"Look, I'm just, trying to be nice. I didn't mean to upset you" she whispered, wishing they weren't alone in the woods.
"Well don't be! Its people like you that make me this way. Pretending to care! You can take your affection and shove it up your-!"
"Hey I said I was sorry! I just thought you might like to know that I'm here if you wanted to talk…get it off your chest."
"Why? Why would you want to do that? You haven't even been here a week and you want to help someone you don't even know and don't even like?"
"I don't know why, I just thought I should"
It was true, she had no idea why she followed him and put up with his anger. There was just something inside her making her feel she should be there for him. Since she had met him she'd felt she needed to know him.
Jacob looked at her now, properly. She looked confused and embarrassed by what she had said. Could she really want to help him?
There was silence as Jake picked up his bag and stepped away. Nessie did the same.
He felt a pang of guilt at making her so nervous.
"If you really want to help, we have some research to do for English. I don't have good internet, but if you do then maybe we could work at your house?" yet again this wasn't directed as a question, but Nessie felt that would be a start, and she hadn't even thought about the project yet.
"Yer that's fine, err, I will talk to you about times tomorrow?"
"Yer whatever." And with that he stalked off into the woods, leaving Nessie to trudge back to her house.
They were making progress, and she found she didn't mind his attitude as much as the week had progressed. It was strange that she cared so much, he was right, she hadn't even been there two days and she already wanted to get to know him and help him with his problems.
She decided to forget about this strange new interest, she had other issues to sort out.
She eventually got home and dragged herself into the kitchen for a drink. As the kettle boiled the front door opened and her dad came in followed by another man. They were chatting animatedly until they noticed her in the kitchen.
"Hey Ness! Look who is here to see us."
He stepped aside and Nessie smiled as a man she recognized came into view. Years hadn't changed him and he still had the thick moustache and gentle smile.
"Well Nessie, look how you've grown. It's great to see ya"
"Good to see you to Charlie!" and she ran into his embrace.
This is the first chapter of my new story, I hope you liked it. I understand it isn't very interesting at the moment, but I'm hoping you will like it as the story progresses.
Please R&R and any feedback is good feedback to me xx