Title: Romeo Was Such A Jerk, Wasn't He?

Rating: K+/PG

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns all things Twilight.

Summary: Jacob spends some time with Bella, getting help with his schoolwork. Set during Twilight.

Note: So, I know I futzed things up a little bit...but the plot bunny bit hard and would not let go. I hope you all enjoy!

--

"Too bad about your girlfriend, huh, Jake?" Embry tapped me on the shoulder as he slid into his seat behind me. I considered reaching back and smacking him in the head before the teacher could see, but whatever it was that was 'too bad' caught my attention.

"What?" I asked, "She's not my girlfriend." I tacked on, suddenly remembering what he'd said was, unfortunately, little more than a distant dream on my part.

"Dude, you didn't hear?" Quil looked surprised, and a small part of me felt a little worried. Had I somehow missed something huge? And how would they know something about Bella before I did? If something bad had happened, I would have heard from Billy.

I glowered at them both. "Hear what?"

"Seriously?" Embry remarked with a smirk. I hated learning things secondhand from him, he always had to drag things out.

"What?" I fought the urge to toss my earth science book at his head.

"Dude," Embry cocked an eyebrow, "Your girlfriend totally almost got pancaked in the parking lot at Forks High a few weeks ago. How did you not hear?"

I didn't hear any of his words after 'parking lot'. Bella almost got hit by a car and no one told me about it until now? How did I not know about this. More importantly, why did my dad not tell me? Woah! Wait-

"Is she okay?" I asked quickly, trying to figure out a way to ditch class before the teacher showed up. Scratch that, I thought, as Mrs. Adams walked into the room. Maybe if I went to the bathroom and just ducked out...

"Yeah." Quil said, "I don't think she was hurt at all." Quil looked uncomfortably, and I wondered if he knew what a bad liar he was.

"Really?" I pushed, I wanted a little more information if I was going to be forced to sit through this class after Bella just had a near death experience.

I wondered if she was in school, or if she'd taken the day off...

"Not a scratch on her." Embry leaned in closer and whispered. "Mrs. Clearwater was talking to my mom about it, and she says that one of those Cullen guys...Edward, I think...came out of nowhere and pulled her out of the way or something."

I snorted. "Don't tell me that you believe all that crap about them being vampires, guys, I mean, really?" I dug my wrinkled homework out of my bag before I could get in trouble for not bringing it. "He probably saw it before it was coming and pulled her out of the way. Bella was really lucky."

It was hard to believe that my friends were crazy enough to listen to that stuff.

–

I decided to word this very carefully. Billy was pretty sensitive about anything that had to do with the Cullens, after all, he and Charlie had just sort of made up...I thought the whole thing was pretty stupid, myself. Vampires, I snorted, what was next? Ghosts, witches, and zombies?

Maybe that was why I hadn't found out from him anyways. Since the Cullens were such a sore point, I could understand why Charlie maybe hadn't told Billy anything. On that note, I decided not to say anything about what Embry and Quil had told me.

When I got home from school, my dad was in the living room, watching some game or another.

"Hey dad," I called out, "I'm home."

"There's a game on." He said, "Mariners."

I had bigger fish to fry than baseball.

"Ehh...I'll pass." I dropped my backpack on the kitchen table. "Would it be okay if I took the car for a little while?"

Billy turned around to look at me. "Why?"

Crap. I was hoping he wouldn't ask. I wanted to see Bella, but lying to my dad wasn't really an option. Charlie would just mention that he'd seen me there anyways, and it wasn't like I could ask the chief to not tell my dad I'd been there, could I?

"Uh, well, I haven't seen Bella in a while." I said, "Its okay if I go down for a couple hours...isn't it?"

"Don't you have homework?" Billy asked.

"No, not really." I decided that didn't really count as a lie. I didn't have any homework due tomorrow, after all.

"Really?" Billy raised an eyebrow. "Your English teacher called, you know. Something about a 'D' on a Romeo and Juliet test, and that she would be happy to let you write a paper for extra credit, to raise your grade."

Damn, Damn, Damn! I'd totally forgotten about it.

"I'll start it tonight," I promised, "Can I go now?"

Billy sighed. "Jacob, its a school night."

Wow, since when couldn't I leave on school nights? I'd spent loads of nights down in Forks watching baseball with Charlie and Billy when I had school the next day.

"I'll be back early. Really early." I offered. "I'll be home in time for dinner."

Billy looked at me suspiciously. "What's the big deal about going down tonight?" He asked.

I bit my lip...tiny lie, one little lie, and really, it didn't even need to be a lie.

"Bella promised to help me with my paper, I don't understand any of that Shakespeare stuff at all, and she'd really, really good at it." I knew that if I asked Bella for help, she'd definitely help me.

Billy sighed.

"And tomorrow afternoon she has plans with her friends, and so she can't help me then. Today's sort of the only day."

"Plans with what friends?" Billy asked.

Oh, uh oh, I hadn't planned for that question.

"Girls." I managed. "Just some girls she goes to school with, but she told me she can't cancel on them."

"Well, first off I have no idea how she's going to teach you that play in the hour before dinner." Billy looked at me pointedly. "Call when you get there, and before you leave. I want you home before eight, do you understand me?"

I was stunned by the restrictions, he'd never given them to me before, but I took it. "Yes, of course." I turned and grabbed the keys off of the hook. My hand was on the door when I heard Billy call my name.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Shit. "Thanks, dad!" I called, jogging back to the kitchen to grab my backpack. While I was there I grabbed some oreos, I was starving.

–

Bella's truck was in the driveway, and Charlie's cruiser wasn't there. Cool, I decided, I could have some time alone with Bella.

Before I could knock on the door, it was pulled open and I found myself face to face with one of the sour faced Cullens. What was wrong with them? I wondered. Did any of them smile, ever?

Bella peeked out from behind him, smiling brightly. "Hello, Jacob. I wasn't expecting you."

Cullen stepped back, and she crossed over in front of him. I really hoped that he was on his way out.

"I thought I'd surprise you." I told her. "Billy gave a me a reprieve from the rez."

I saw Cullen's eyes drift over to my truck. "You need to be seventeen to drive in Washington, don't you?"

Not when your dad is friends with the chief of police, and can't drive, I thought. Bella looked uncomfortable enough, so I decided to forgo my witty retort. "We get permits on the rez early." I said sarcastically. I didn't like him at all. What was Bella doing with an uptight guy like him?

One of his eyebrows rose, and I got the feeling that he was laughing at me. Jerk.

"I should be going." Cullen said, with a smirk that only served to annoy me more. He reached over to give Bella a kiss on the cheek and I felt my gag reflex nearly upchuck my oreos.

Bella nodded her head, "I'll see you later, Edward."

"Jacob." Edward nodded his head once in my direction. "Its been a pleasure."

I stifled the urge to snort. Yeah, right.

"Sure." I grinned. "See you around Edward."

I hadn't known things were moving so fast with Bella and her boyfriend, looks like I had more heavy competition than I had expected if Bella's boyfriend was already kissing her in public. Although, if Bella was my girlfriend, I'd be kissing her every chance I got.

–

"Edward Cullen, huh?" I asked Bella.

It was funny to watch the way her cheeks turned that cute pink color.

"Um. Yeah." She looked away from me, busying herself at the counter.

Aw...shoot. I was going to have to say something nice about the guy now. I didn't want this to turn awkward and for her to think that I was jealous of her boyfriend...which I was.

Insanely so, really.

"He seems nice." Again with my gag reflex. On the bright side, Bella looked okay at least. "I hear that he saved you from being pancaked by a truck."

Bella shrugged. "It wasn't a big thing. He pulled me out of the way...my truck didn't make it out unscathed, though."

"The truck? I thought that would be completely invincible." I went to the window to glance at the truck. "Anything major? Whatever it is...I could totally fix it for you, you know."

Bella laughed, and I hoped it wasn't at me. Maybe I was being a little too obvious. I couldn't help myself when I was around her though.

"Just a little dent in the fender." Bella said, and I had to bite down on my offer to go out and try and fix it for her. "I'll hammer it out or...something."

I laughed. "Well, if you have any trouble with that hammer, come up to La Push and I'll put it right in no time at all."

Bella smiled again, and it was such a genuine smile that I felt myself filled with pleasure. Nothing made me as happy as being around her. Sometimes I wondered what would have happened if I had asked her out that day on the beach.

Nothing, I told myself, because you are still two years younger than her. One day, though...I consoled myself with that thought, that soon the two years wouldn't seem like anything at all.

"So, what are you doing here?" Bella grinned, "Checking up on me?"

Sort of, I thought. Something told me that wasn't the greatest idea for a reply, however. I didn't want Bella to think I was stalking her, or anything creepy like that.

"Hoping to talk my most favorite friend ever into a favor that will save my life...er-my grade." I really did need her help with this paper. It probably would have helped if I'd done more than read my sisters' old notes on the play but reading Shakespeare wasn't on my to-do list.

"Your favorite friend, huh?" Bella raised an eyebrow, and gestured to the table. "I'll do my best to help, since its my very favorite friend asking..."

I couldn't help the spark I felt in my chest when she called me her favorite friend. My face grew hot, and I was glad I didn't blush as visibly as she did. I sat across from her at the table and dug out the book.

"Romeo and Juliet." I said, "I sort of uh...flunked the test. My teacher told me that if I write a paper, then she'll take it in place of the test and I'm...completely lost. Rebbecca and Rachel's notes are apparently not a replacement for the lecture."

"Thats one of my favorites." Bella said, taking the book. "And using your sister's notes..." She raised an eyebrow.

"Once." I said, "I've only done it once...or twice." I cringed, it was like committing a crime.

Bella laughed. "Okay, so how long does your paper need to be?"

"Three pages, open topic." I replied. "And I have no idea what to write about."

"Right...okay, why don't you run up to my room, and on my bookshelf is a big purple binder that says tenth grade English on it. It had all my notes, which we're going to need for a crash course in Romeo and Juliet."

"Okay." I nodded my head once. Purple binder, tenth grade english. Bella was telling me to go into her bedroom? No, Jacob, focus!

"I'm just going to check on dinner." Bella said, she smiled at me as I stood up. "You'll stay, right?"

"Yeah I'll-oh damn!" After everything with Cullen I totally forgot about Billy's deal. "Ugh...can I use your phone, Bella?"

She nodded her head. "Of course. Forgot something?"

I groaned, quickly dialing home. "Yes. I totally forgot that Billy asked me to call home when I got here. He's been acting really weird like that lately."

"Tell him its my fault." Bella encouraged. "I was making you learn instead."

I laughed, "Okay."

Bella turned to the stove, and I fought back an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach when I heard my dad's voice.

"Hey dad."

"Jacob." Billy didn't sound angry, but he didn't sound pleased either. "Take a detour?"

I cringed. "I forgot."

"Clearly." Billy said. "Are you working on your assignment?"

"Bella was teaching me all about the wonders of Shakespeare when I remembered that I forgot."

"No later than eight Jake." Billy reminded me. "And call before you leave.

–

After Bella started explaining the story to me, I didn't get what was so special about Romeo. He sounded sorta like a jerk. Bella didn't seem to agree with me about that though.

"No." I shook my head as she argued her point. "Look at it like this, Bella, so Romeo likes this girl...Rosalind, and he's supposed to be head over heels in love with her, right?"

Bella nodded her head. "He was-until he found Juliet."

"Right, so he goes to Juliet's party and...like that!" I snapped my fingers, "He suddenly forgets all about Rosalind and decides that he's in love with Juliet."

He sounded like a bit of a jerk actually, but I wasn't going to tell Bella that.

"It was love at first site, Jake." Bella said. "He just fell in love."

Huh. Yeah, well, he fell in love with Rosalind without getting to know her too. I wondered if that counted for anything. Sometimes I really didn't understand girls. This was okay with them? It didn't sound right to me. You needed to know someone to love them...really know them.

"I think he just liked the challenge." I told her. "Their families made it forbidden for them to see each other and so it was just a fun game for him to be with Juliet."

Bella's eyebrows furrowed together, I didn't think she liked my analysis very much. If I kept this up, I was going to need a new tutor, never mind a new friend.

"You don't think Romeo loved Juliet?" Bella asked, sounding more offended than I'd expected.

I didn't think you could really love someone until you got to know them. Like I knew that I liked Bella, that I liked her a lot. That there was nothing that made me as happy as being around her...but I wouldn't say I loved her until I knew that I definitely did. That didn't seem very fair, and I was pretty sure that if I said that she wouldn't talk to me anymore since that boyfriend of hers seemed to walk on water. I was pretty sure that I was falling in love with her though. All I had to do was wait for her to grow tired of that sourpuss Edward Cullen.

"Well, he didn't even know her..." Somehow I felt like I was upsetting Bella with my idea. "But I don't know...maybe after awhile he could have loved her. How do you love someone you don't even know?"

That seemed to placate her. She really seemed to take this story seriously. On the bright side, I had a paper topic. I just hoped my teacher liked it better than Bella.

"Any more of that apple pie?" Charlie asked Bella.

After dinner, he had disappeared into the living room to watch tv. I wondered if he gave Bella and her boyfriend that much freedom. More importantly, I wondered if he actually liked Bella's boyfriend or if he got the same bad feeling about him that I did. I'd be half tempted to ask my dad, but the idea of sticking the word Cullen in there...yeah, with my luck, he'd go crazy and tell me I wasn't allowed in Forks anymore.

"In the fridge, dad." Bella said. "More pie to go with your cynicism, Jacob?"

Bella grinned teasingly. She was really pretty, but when she smiled...she was gorgeous.

"What's this about cynicism?" Charlie asked, pulling out the pie plate.

"Healthy debate, chief." I nodded my head as he handed me a plate. "Thanks."

"At least Jacob likes your cooking, Bella." Charlie laughed. "I was starting to wonder if boys just don't eat anymore either."

I snorted. "My dad wishes." I looked at Bella, "Plus, you're a really good cook, Bella."

Bella blushed. "Thank you." She looked at her dad with an annoyed expression. "Edward eats, dad, he's just...on a special diet. He's allergic to a lot of things."

"Huh." I took a bite of pie. "I thought he looked sort of sick."

Charlie nodded his head in agreement.

"Edward doesn't spend much time in the sun." Bella replied, looking hopeless.

I was stunned. "Doesn't like the sun? Bella, you love the sun. Everyone likes the sun...even though we don't get much of it."

Charlie laughed.

"Well, there you go Bella, when you need a date to the beach, I bet Jacob would be plenty happy to take you."

I decided then and there that Charlie was absolutely my most favorite person in the world-after Bella, of course.

"Anytime." I told Bella. "Maybe on a sunny day...you and your friends picked a really bad day to go to the beach last time. They were crazy to surf in that weather. The water was only a few degrees higher than freezing."

"We should do that." Bella said. "Sometime."

I tried to gauge the tone in her voice, but couldn't decide if she was serious or just being nice...or even if she thought she had to because Charlie suggested it. The last one horrified me.

"Weather is going to be nice this weekend." Charlie continued. "Harry and I have a fishing trip, nice weekend for the beach."

Charlie stuck the pie plate back in the fridge.

Did he just make a date for us?

I decided to tread carefully.

"Yeah...if you get bored this weekend, give me a call and we can hang out at the beach." I glanced at the clock. Seven-thirty...I really needed to leave. "I'll teach you to surf for real."

Bella snorted, I was sure she knew as well as I did how bad of surfers her friends were. Luckily, I was significantly better. I made a note to think Rachel's husband for the lessons he'd given me last time we visited.

Charlie sighed. "Just bring her back in one piece."

"Sure thing." I grinned.

My fingers were crossed. I really, really hoped Bella would call.

"Anyways," I got up, tossing my backpack over my shoulder. "I should go, Billy made me promise to be home by eight."

"Drive carefully." Charlie told me, and then muttered what sounded like 'driving without a license... '.

"I'll walk you out." Bella said.

Outside, I tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make me sound desperate and pathetic.

"Thanks for all your help, Bella, really." I lingered by my dad's truck. "You're a lifesaver, I'll make it up to you next time."

"It was no problem Jake, it was fun." Bella told me. "I'll call you this weekend, okay?"

I tried to restrain myself from jumping up and down like a little kid on Christmas day.

"Awesome." I told her, feeling a smile that I couldn't help cross my face. "Talk to you then, Bella."

–

I was almost half-way home when I remembered that I had forgotten to call home before I left. Crap...well, I'd be back before eight, so maybe he wouldn't mind.

When I pulled up to the house, Billy was sitting on the porch, can of beer poised at his mouth.

Or maybe he'd mind a whole lot.

His eyes seemed to narrow as they zeroed in on my face, and I couldn't stop wondering why it was he had suddenly become so uptight. He'd never been so strict about things before. I couldn't remember the last time I nearly had to beg to go to a friend's house on a school night. I tried to pinpoint when exactly this had began. After all, it was only a few weeks ago, it seemed, that Billy was teasing me about being surprised I wasn't down in Forks more often and now he was looking really upset that I'd forgotten to call-which i'd never had to do before.

"Hey dad," I tried to keep my tone as easy as possible as I shut the door, dragging by bag along with me and slinging it over my shoulder. "Sorry, I forgot to call."

"I noticed." Billy's tone was even, I thought maybe he wasn't as mad as me as I'd thought he was. Hopefully. "Bella called, said you were on your way home."

Relief swept through me as a smile seemed to crack across his face.

"So, I thought I told you to call, not her."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry. I totally forgot, I was in a hurry to get back. And when I got there, I got totally distracted until Bella's boyfriend left-"

My throat suddenly felt parched and I felt a slight seizing in my chest as I cursed my sudden leave of senses. What had I been thinking? Did I just admit to my father that I had been in the same vicinity as one of the Cullens? He was never going to let me leave the Rez again-not until college, at the very least. I could kiss any chance of ever seeing Bella ever again!

"Right away." I amended as quickly as I could. "He didn't stay. He had to leave."

I wasn't stupid. I might not believe in the stupid legends they peddled around out there that my dad believed in, but I knew well enough that if he thought I'd been hanging out with one of the Cullens I could kiss any unsupervised time outside of La Push goodbye.

"Bella has a boyfriend?" Billy's voice bordered on being toneless, the way it was when he pretended he wasn't fully aware of the answer.

"Yeah." There was no point in lying. I dropped my backpack on the stairs, with the impression I was going to be outside for at least a few more minutes. If I was going to be interrogated, I might as well make myself comfortable. "I'm surprised Charlie didn't tell you...but then again, I don't think he likes Edward Cullen very much."

"Edward Cullen?" Billy looked completely surprised.

It really annoyed me how easily my dad could lie sometimes, didn't he realize that I obviously knew as well as he did that he knew that Bella was dating Edward Cullen?

"Yeah." I decided to feed my dad the information he'd never bothered to share with me. "Apparently he saved her life or something. Pulled her out of the way of some speeding truck."

"That so?" Billy's voice seemed to raise half an octave higher. "Good thing she's okay."

Oh yeah, something was eating at him. I figured it wouldn't be long before he stuck his nose in this and didn't have Charlie talking to him for another few months. However, if things with Cullen and Bella kept up...maybe Charlie wouldn't be quite so thrilled about the Cullens.

Personally, I thought they all looked a little abnormal. And I really didn't see what Bella's attraction to Edward Cullen was.

"Yeah." I had my fill of saying anything nice about him with Bella. "Charlie never mention it to you?"

Billy shook his head. "No, nope. Not that I recall."

I could almost scream. He was still lying. If he had just found out now that Bella had nearly died, he wouldn't have taken it so well. He would have actually asked me for details.

I picked up my backpack, unable to put up with anymore of it.

"I'm going to finish my paper now. Bella was really helpful...she's really smart."

Billy smiled and for the first time it looked genuine.

"And of course that's why you asked her instead of going to the tutoring center?"

Oh. Oops. I didn't know my dad even knew we had a tutoring center at school.

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't even know there was one. I'll use it next time." I lied. At the door I turned back to look at him. "By the way, I might go to the beach with Bella this weekend."

The playful smile seemed to leave Billy's face.

"The beach?"

I nodded my head. "Charlie's going fishing with Harry."

Billy still didn't look happy. "And who else is with you?"

"None of it is set in stone." Unfortunately, I thought. "Probably just me and Bella. Embry and Quil are busy." Or at the very least, if this panned out, they would be busy.

"Stay well on this side of the border." Billy told me in a warning tone that always let me know when i'd reached the point where arguing became futile.

"Yeah, of course, dad." I was plenty eager to agree with anything that equaled time with Bella. "I was thinkinh of inviting her up to the house after...if thats okay?"

Billy seemed to snort. "You know Bella's allowed over there anytime." He turned and wheeled himself in ahead of me, giving me the impression the conversation was over. However, I cold hear him muttering all the way through. "More time that girl spends here the better."