I took a step onto my new front porch. The view was endless forests and an abundance of green all around me. Much different than my old home in Arizona. I wondered how easy this adjustment was going to be. I knew I wanted a fresh new start, but moving cross country was a little insane.
I knew nobody in La Push, Washington, but they were hiring a school psychologist, my job of expertise. It seemed like a good location, full of culture and friendly faces. So far, I've been right. There's a small town feel to La Push and Forks, its surrounding town. Well, maybe it's not just a "feel": this place is seriously tiny. I'm not from the big city myself, but I came from a place bigger than this. Still though, it was beautiful and safe-feeling. All I needed was to get out there and meet people, which isn't something I was looking forward to if I'm being honest.
Suddenly remembering the beach I noticed while doing my initial drive around the reservation, I decided to walk down there and explore. I seriously had nothing better to do, as I was putting off unpacking and it was the middle of May: I had the whole summer off. I grabbed my keys (with pepper spray attached) and my cell phone. The walk wouldn't take me more than five minutes and it was a beautiful cool day. I took off down the paved road, barely big enough for two cars to pass each other. The reservation was full of beautiful little houses, all with a pretty large distance from each other, giving perfect privacy. After moving in last night, I noticed that my closest neighbor seemed to have a lot of people over at one time. I hope they aren't drug dealers, I giggled to myself.
Shaking that silly thought out of my head, I arrived at the beach, First Beach, the sign said. There were only two cars parked in the small parking lot but I saw a huge group of people around a bonfire. Most of the men shirtless, I was confused but certainly intrigued. As I mentioned earlier, it was a cool day: nice but definitely not nice enough to not wear clothes. I shrugged it off as them being used to the weather and possibly swimming and started walking towards them, as it was the only way to go.
Hoping they wouldn't notice me or say anything, I kept walking while watching them slyly. It was a group of mainly men, although there were a few women hanging around, even a white girl, like me. We looked sort of similar. She had dark hair, as I did, however mine had more of an auburn tint to it and hers was just a dull brown. She seemed sort of awkward in the group, like she didn't belong. The other girls didn't have that same aura. They were all cuddled up with their respective shirtless man. I smiled, looking at the cute couples. They weren't all coupled up, which made my heart speed up. Who am I to pretend like these guys aren't gorgeous.
I was pulled out of my ogling as a force hit me over the head. I fell to the ground pretty dramatically, as I heard a voice yell, "Way to go, Brady! You almost killed the girl!". I stood up and shook the sand off my ripped jeans. There was one of the shirtless guys right beside me. Damn he got here fast.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" the handsome young boy explained, "I really didn't mean to! I was trying to hit my friend Paul."
Assuming this was the Brady that hit me, I smiled. "It's no big deal. Accidents happen."
I noticed him check me out before smirking. "I really am sorry. I can give you some free food if you're interested. We're having a cookout. Are you new around here?"
I was taken aback at first, but then calmed down. Obviously, he can tell I'm new. I'm white and there's maybe 2,000 people here and in Forks combined. Might as well take this golden opportunity to meet people. "Well I'll never say no to food," I giggled, "and yeah I am. I moved to the reservation yesterday actually. We might be neighbors; you look like the someone who's been in and out of the house next to mine."
His eyebrows shot up. "No shit? Guys this is Sam's new neighbor!" he yelled out with his booming voice. Brady looked a little young for me, but there's no denying he was hot. His stomach was impressive and his slightly shaggy black hair looked stunning on him. His brown eyes flickered with excitement as he realized we might be hanging out more.
A pretty girl gasped at his exclamation. "Oh hi! I'm Emily, Sam's wife." She turned to face me and I almost gasped myself. Half of her face had gashes from her eyebrow down to her neck, making her smile turn downwards. I composed myself quickly; my psychology training has made me an expert in reading others and making them feel comfortable. This wasn't the worst thing I'd seen.
I smiled brightly. "Hi, I guess I'm your new neighbor then. I'm Hadley." I shook her hand and noticed that she really was a pretty girl. She was soft and seemed kind. Already thinking about her being a possible candidate for a friend, I silently thanked Brady for whacking me in the head. A large man, similar to Brady in build, stepped beside Emily and put his hand on her waist.
"Hello, I'm Sam Uley, neighbor and chief of the tribe. It's a pleasure to welcome you to La Push. I'm sorry Brady was your first impression of us," he smirked. Of course, I move in next to the damn chief. He seemed nice enough, and was loud like Brady, but was not boyish like him. He had the voice that demanded respect, and it seemed like he deserved it too.
"Oh, he's fine. It's not too bad, really. It's helped me meet some people, right?" I smiled.
Brady came back to my side with a plate holding a cheeseburger. "Here's the food I promised. Let me introduce you to the rest of the guys." I don't know who these "guys" were or why all of them were hanging out with no shirts on but whatever. He motioned to Sam and Emily. "I see you've already talked to them. I'm sure Emily is thrilled to have more women around her house." He turned me around. "This is my best friend Collin." Collin looked slightly younger like Brady, and had slightly lighter hair that was in a buzz cut. "Then we've got Paul and Jared, with their girls Rachel and Kim." Both of the guys were super cute and so were their women. Rachel was also native, with long straight black hair down to her waist. Her smile was her best feature. Kim was lighter in complexion, but was still at least half native. She had auburn hair similar to mine and a shy smile.
Rachel spoke up before Brady could continue his tour. "Wait, aren't you the new school psychologist they just hired at the high school?" Her eyes lit up while waiting for my answer.
My green eyes met her brown ones and smiled, "Uh, yes I am. How did you know?"
She stood up from Paul's lap and bounded over to me. "I'm a teacher at the high school! It's so nice to meet you. I can help you get adjusted if you need it. Most people we work with are some oldies but we can stick together. We can even grab lunch so-"
Her boyfriend laughed behind her. "Babe you're probably scaring her."
I giggled along with him. "It's a lot but I'm thankful. I really didn't think I'd meet anyone until school started in August. So yes, lunch would actually be so great." She smiled at me and handed me her phone to put my number in it. Even if she was a little forward I was excited to meet a potential friend. I loved her bubbly personality. And if hanging with her meant I got to hang around shirtless guys all the time, even better. We made plans for tomorrow and Brady continued on.
"Now we have Quil, Embry, and Jacob," he gave sort of an eye roll, "and Jake's friend Bella." I wasn't sure what the attitude was about, but I realized Bella was the other white girl I noticed with them. She gave me an awkward wave and I smiled back. Quil was smiling brightly at me. He was older than Brady, but still had a boyish vibe to him. He seemed fun. Embry was beside him, the most attractive up until this point. His hair was pulled into a man bun, which I loved. He also had a boyish charm but was more reserved than Quil. He gave me a friendly hello and I turned to Jacob.
Jake looked like he was about to say a greeting to me, but when we locked eyes, his face went blank. His jaw slightly fell open and his hand, that was about to wave, went down to his side. As weird as it was, I didn't want to look away. I didn't feel creeped out like I probably should have. I heard whispers around me, some cussing, some joyful, some in disbelief. I didn't really know what was going on. I wasn't wearing anything particularly attractive. I was in dark ripped jeans and an off the shoulder white top, with cut out flowers on the sleeves. My ample D cup breasts were slightly noticeable, but not out. I'm a cute girl but nothing to stare at. Jake, on the other hand, was a sight to see. He was taller than his two friends, with a more mature look to his face. His chiseled jaw matched his chiseled abs perfectly, which I forced myself to tear away from. His hair was buzzed with a little grown out. His hazel brown eyes were still staring into me when Embry shoved him. He awoke then and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that," he said in a deep voice that made my insides quake, "I'm Jacob Black."
I heard Racheal squeal, but assumed it was unrelated. "Hi, I'm Hadley. Sam's neighbor apparently." He chuckled at that, and moved to give me a quick hug. His touch set me on fire and I wanted to hold on so I could smell him forever. He smelled like the woods and comfort.
"I guess that means we'll be seeing a lot of each other," he said. God, I hope so. "I see you met my sister Rachel already." Speak of the devil, she came running up to me.
"Yes Jake, we already met. We're going to be best friends. I can't believe this, I'm so happy!" Paul came to pull her away before she said anything else. This girl was so excited to make a new friend. But hey, beggers can't be choosers.
I giggled. "Yeah, she seems fun. I'm excited to work with her. I'll be a school psychologist at the high school."
Brady cussed. "Dammit. I'll be a senior this year. Guess this means we can't be lovers." He said it with a smile, so I knew he was kidding. I laughed loudly, but I could swear I heard Jacob... growl? Brady's eyes widened. "Not that we'd ever be lovers even if we were the same age or anything," he quickly backtracked.
"I know you were kidding Brady. It's fine, seriously." I smiled and rolled my eyes. It was then I heard a faint throat clearing. We all turned to see Bella, with small tears forming in her eyes. "Oh, wow. Are you okay?" I asked, while walking towards her. My therapist instinct kicked in and I wanted to make sure she was okay.
She stepped away from me and towards Jacob. Damn, he really did look good. "Did what I think just happened, happen?" she asked, looking right at Jacob. His eyes looked sad, but not sad enough for Bella apparently. Tears streamed down her face and she started walking towards one of the two cars in the parking lot.
Jake started to go after her, but saw me and stopped. Why I would hold him back, I'm not sure. "Bella, stop. I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. But I don't see why you're upset," he pleaded with her.
She smiled sadly. "I know. I'm happy for you, really." With that, she hopped into a beat-up truck and sped off.
Everyone was silent for a minute. "Well that was fun. Time to pack up guys," I heard Emily yell. I noticed it was getting dark and I started to panic, not knowing how to find my way back. I tended to get lost in places I knew well, so this may be a disaster. Jacob, seeing the panic on my face, came towards me.
"Do you need me to walk you home? It's getting dark and you shouldn't be going alone," he said, with concern on his face.
"Is it any safer to let a total stranger walk me home?" I countered, with a playful smirk on my face. The truth is, I'd follow him anywhere, although that sounded crazy. I was never the type to fall for a boy quickly, but how could anyone deny him?
He caught on to my teasing and chuckled. "I mean if you wanna take your chances, go for it." He started to walk away with Quil and Embry, and I grabbed his arm quickly. Once again, I melted at his touch and wanted it all over me. Woah girl, calm down.
"No come with me. I'll get lost if I go by myself," I replied, sheepishly.
He smiled his winning "Black smile" I dubbed it, as Rachel had the same one. "I suppose I can protect you this once."
And that one small walk home proved how easy it was to become addicted to Jacob Black.
