Bella and Edward were jostled and bumped as they made their way through the swarm of students. By the time they finally arrived at the front steps, Bella was out of breath. She put her hands on her knees to steady herself.
"Bella!"
She looked up to see Jessica waving at her. She gave her a weak smile in return.
Jessica walked up to them with a beer bottle in her hand. "Wow! Bella, you look hot!" she exclaimed. Bella nervously laughed off Jessica's blunt comment when suddenly there was a loud gasp. "What's he doing here?"
Bella glanced around, her eyes widening at the sight of Jacob.
He seemed to be scanning the crowd, looking for something—or someone. "Has anyone seen Bella? I need to talk to her," he said rather loudly. People just stared at him; some looked afraid, but most just stared in awe. "Are you people deaf?" he shouted. Jacob accidentally bumped into Mike and was then pushed to the ground.
Bella continued to watch until a crowd began to surround them. She turned away, embarrassed.
Edward towered over her, shielding her view. He reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Then he grabbed her hand with his free one, giving it a light squeeze. "Maybe we should leave?"
"You can't leave now," Jessica protested weakly. "You just got here." Edward looked over his shoulder and glared at her. "Sorry," she mouthed.
Bella elbowed him in the ribs before turning around. He let out a startled gasp. Jessica raised her eyebrow at them. Bella gave her a small smile then glanced up at Edward. He had a pouty look on his face.
"Don't worry, we're staying. Right Edward."
Instead of replying, he leaned forward and whispered. "Do you want me to get rid of him?"
She shook her head. "It's fine. I'll go talk to him." He gave her an unsure look. "It's okay," she mouthed. He gave her hand a final squeeze before letting go. As she walked over to Jacob she looked back at him. He gave her a slight nod of his head.
"You guys are so cute," Jessica squealed.
Edward rolled his eyes and then frowned at the scene before him.
Bella watched as Jacob struggled to get off the ground. After several unsuccessful attempts to get to his feet he finally managed to get up. Jacob laughed as Bella approached him. "There she is," he said with a huge smile plastered on his face.
"Um hey Jake." she stammered. A surprised oomph escaped her lips as he wrapped her in a tight embrace. Bella tried to wiggle free after a few seconds when he made no move to let go. "You can let go now," she told him softly. After a long pause when he didn't respond, she said, "Jake, you're crushing me."
"Oh, sorry," Jacob said, getting too caught up in the moment. Once he let go of her, he started giggling.
"Jacob, are you drunk?"
"Maybe a little," he said.
She shook her head disapprovingly. He shrugged. They remained in silence. Jacob took the time to look her over more carefully. He noticed the bright pink crop top and the stonewashed denim jeans hugging her hips.
"Woah, what happened to you?" he blurted out loud.
Bella gave him an odd look. He motioned toward her outfit. She put her hands into her jeans' pockets and stood, rocking on her heels.
"Oh, well, Jessica let me borrow some of her clothes."
"You look great."
She wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively. "Um…thanks."
Suddenly, he snorted, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
Bella cocked her head to the side. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"
"Maybe you should tell your bloodsucking boyfriend to stop looking at me."
Bella looked back at Edward. He was standing near a flower pot on the front porch. There was a couple making out beside him, but his eyes were locked on Jacob. She turned back to face Jacob and just rolled her eyes.
"Can you not?" He looked at her innocently, pretending not to understand. "I'm not in the mood for an argument."
He sighed. "Fine. Whatever." She breathed a sigh of relief. "But, seriously, why him? What do you see in him?"
She let out a frustrated groan. "Just stop, okay?"
"Geez, Bel. I was only kidding."
She shook her head once again and blew a stray hair out of her face. "No, I've had enough, Jake. You're just gonna have to deal with what's happened between me and Edward." she yelled.
He looked back at her stunned.
Bella looked around. People were staring at her. "Just stay away from me, Jake." she muttered angrily, before spinning around and stomping towards Jessica's house.
"Bella, wait," he called after her. He made to move but Edward stepped in front of him.
"You're embarrassing yourself."
Jacob tried to push him away. "Fuck off," he growled.
Edward could sense the anger starting to boil up in him. His broad chest heaved, his teeth were clenched, and his dull eyes suddenly appeared wild. He didn't like the outcome he could see unfolding before his very eyes. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" He paused for a moment, looking him dead in the eyes. 'Phasing.'
"What does it matter to you?"
Edward shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't. But I do care about the safety of everyone else." he said, lowering his voice so only Jacob could hear him.
Jacob scoffed. "That's a load of bullshit and you know it." Edward quirked his eyebrows slightly. 'You only care about Bella's safety.' Jacob sighed. 'Bella's right. I shouldn't waste my breath on an idiot such as yourself.' As he finished his thought he began to sway on his feet.
Edward managed to catch him before he fell. "Easy there."
He jerked out of his grasp. "Don't touch me! Don't ever touch me!" Jacob spat at him.
He held up his hands defensively. "I was only trying to help."
"Yeah, well, I don't need your help."
Jacob started to walk away then suddenly paused. 'Oh god, I feel sick.' He suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
"Is everything alright?" Edward asked.
Jacob did not respond. He instead began to vomit. He vomited all over Edward's shirt and down himself. 'Ugh! It reeks of death.' He looked up into Edward's face. He seemed mortified. 'I'm so sorry dude. I didn't mean to…'
Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Honestly, it's fine."
Jacob looked at him, shocked. "Wait, seriously?"
He nodded. "Yes, now just stay put, okay?"
"What are you—"
"I'm taking you home, but first I need to find Bella."
'I must be hallucinating.'
'No, you're not, but you're in no condition to go home alone. And I don't want to worry Bella. If something happened to you, she'd take it out on herself.'
Jacob pursed his lips together then nodded.
"Okay then," Edward said looking around at their surroundings. "Just…stay by this tree and don't move."
Jacob huffed and folded his arms over his chest.
'If you're good, I'll give you a treat.'
Jacob narrowed his eyes at him. "Just go get Bella."
Edward smirked at him before heading into the house.