New Moon: Jacobs story

Chapter 1: Friendship

I was sitting at the table, working on a report as part of my English homework. Actually, it felt more like I was torturing myself. I wasn't real fond of school and hated English most of all.

My frustration was building. I ran my fingers through my hair and threw my pencil across the room. I slammed my book closed and crumbled the paper I had only managed to scribble seven words on. That was enough for today. Working in the garage was certainly going to be more productive.

I gathered up the mess of papers and started throwing them into the trash when I heard a familiar roar coming up the road. I stopped; listening intently. My heart jumped at the thought of who might be behind the wheel of the old red truck. I hadn't seen Bella since he left her brokenhearted in the woods, but I'd heard through my dad that she wasn't doing well at all.

I peeked my head around the curtains, verifying the identity of the driver. It was Bella. I opened the door and ran out into the rain to meet her. "Bella!" I felt the grin spread wide across my face. I was never going to be able to control my enthusiasm at seeing her.

She stepped around the truck and my heart soared and broke at the same time. She looked awful. Food hadn't entered her body in months, it seemed. She was thin and the normal color of her skin was even lighter than usual. Her hair had lost its shine as had her eyes. My hands balled into fists as I thought about what I wanted to do to Cullen if he ever crossed my path again.

"Hey, Jacob!" her voice sounded enthusiastic as she smiled. I matched hers with one of my own.

I stopped a few feet away from her and watched her carefully. She looked me up and down in surprise. Her head tipped back and the rain began splattering on her face.

"You grew again!" she accused.

I laughed at her reaction, my smile growing. "Six five," I boasted. I was proud of the fact that I was starting to look less and less like a boy and more like a man. I hoped Bella would notice too.

"Is it ever going to stop?" She shook her head. "You're huge."

"Still a beanpole, though." I cringed at the stupidity of pointing out my obvious flaw. I hoped she didn't notice my reaction. "Come inside! You're getting all wet."

She followed me toward the house. I pulled at my hair, twisting it into its usual ponytail and securing it with a rubber band from my pocket.

"Hey, Dad," I yelled as I entered the house again. "Look who stopped by." My heart was thumping wildly at Bella's presence and I felt like a nervous little boy. I took a deep breath, hoping to calm down. If I ever stood a chance with her, I had to relax.

My dad sat the book down in his lap and wheeled himself forward to greet her. "Well, what do you know! It's good to see you, Bella." He reached out to take her hand in his. I'd never realized how small her hands were. They were dwarfed by my fathers. I wondered how they would look next to mine.

"What brings you out here? Everything okay with Charlie?" My dad was concerned.

"Yes, absolutely. I just wanted to see Jacob - I haven't seen him in forever."

My heart was certainly getting a workout today. Bella's presence had already caused wild palpitations. But that she came to see me. A heart attack was coming. I could feel it. My eyes widened and my cheeks hurt, I was smiling so big.

"Can you stay for dinner?" Dad asked eagerly.

"No, I've got to feed Charlie, you know."

"I'll call him now," Dad suggested, unwilling to let Bella get out of it so easily. "He's always invited."

Bella laughed nervously. "It's not like you'll never see me again. I promise I'll be back again soon - so much you'll get sick of me."

I liked the thought of that. Although, getting sick of Bella was not something I could see happening. I looked forward to her trying though. I wondered how serious she was about coming around. My heart hoped it would be lots, but I couldn't get my hopes up too much. In just the few times I'd spoken with Bella since her return to Forks, I knew that she had the potential to break my heart. I would have to be cautious.

Dad chuckled. "Okay, maybe next time."

Forget the small talk. I had to know why she'd really come by to see me. "So, Bella, what do you want to do?" I asked.

"Whatever. What were you doing before I interrupted?" she asked comfortably.

I paused, stealing a glance at the garbage can in the corner. "I was just heading out to work on my car, but we can do something else…"

"No, that's perfect!" she interrupted. "I'd love to see your car."

"Okay," I replied, skeptically. "It's out back, in the garage."

She seemed a little too eager and I wondered what she was really doing here. She waved politely to my dad. "See you later."

I led the way through the thick line of trees and shrubbery that screened the garage from the house. I worried how comfortable Bella would really be inside my world. She followed me through the door and looked around quickly.

"What kind of Volkswagen is that?" she asked.

"It's an old Rabbit - 1986, a classic."

"How's it going?"

"Almost finished," I squealed like a little girl. I cleared my throat and continued in a more masculine tone, "My dad made good on his promise last spring."

"Ah," she verified that she knew what I was referring to.

I wanted to kick myself for my stupid insensitivity. Of course she wouldn't want to talk about prom. I shuffled my feet nervously; waiting for her to crumble right before my eyes.

It seemed as though she were debating it. But then she grinned. "Jacob, what do you know about motorcycles?" she asked.

I shrugged, glad that the awkwardness had passed. "Some. My friend Embry has a dirt bike. We work on it together sometimes. Why?" Her question puzzled me. Bella and motorcycles didn't seem like a logical combination, nor did it seem the safest idea. She was nearly as clumsy as I was.

Well…," she pursed her lips, considering whether or not she was going to give me any more information. I waited patiently while her brain spun. Finally she spoke again, "I recently acquired a couple of bikes, and they're not in the greatest condition. I wonder if you could get them running?"

"Cool." I loved a challenge and it sounded as though that's what Bella was presenting - twofold actually. I grinned at the thought. "I'll give it a try."

She held up a finger as if she were warning me. "The thing is," she explained, "Charlie doesn't approve of motorcycles. Honestly, he'd probably bust a vein in his forehead if he knew about this. So you can't tell Billy."

Was that all? "Sure, sure." I smiled. "I understand."

"I'll pay you," she continued.

I felt my face fall at her suggestion. Absurd. "No. I want to help. You can't pay me." There was no way I would allow her to pay me. If my helping her would put a smile on her face, I would do it. I smiled again at the thought of this giving her an excuse to come over again.

"Well…how about a trade, then?" she offered. "I only need one bike - and I'll need lessons, too. So how about this? I'll give you the other bike, and then you can teach me."

"Swee-eet." I liked the sound of that. I could go riding with Embry - and Bella. I would have helped her for nothing, but this was going to be an added bonus.

"Wait a sec - are you legal yet? When's your birthday?"

"You missed it," I told her, narrowing my eyes and pretending to be offended. "I'm sixteen."

"Not that you age ever stopped you before," she teased. "Sorry about your birthday."

"Don't worry about it. I missed yours. What are you, forty?"

She sniffed. "Close."

"We'll have a joint party to make up for it," I suggested.

"Sounds like a date."

My heart thudded. I liked the sound of that; a date with Bella. I'm sure she didn't mean a romantic date, but hey, whatever she was willing to give me. I wasn't going to push her. Nothing else mattered as long as Bella and I could spend time together - and she was smiling.

"Maybe when the bikes are finished - our present to ourselves," she added quickly.

"Deal. When will you bring them down?"

She bit her lip and her cheeks took on a rosy hue. "They're in my truck now," she admitted.

"Great." I couldn't wait to get started.

"Will Billy see if we bring them around?"

I winked at her. "We'll be sneaky."

We walked around to the east side of the house being careful to stay out of view. We tried to walk casually just in case someone could see us. I quickly unloaded the bikes from the back, wheeling them down to Bella, who was waiting in the shrubs.

"These aren't half bad," I admired them as we pushed them through the trees. "This one here will actually be worth something when I'm done - it's an old Harley Sprint."

"That one's yours, then."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"These are going to take some cash, though," I informed her, frowning. "We'll have to save up for parts first."

"We nothing," she stated. "If you're doing this for free, I'll pay for the parts."

"I don't know…," I muttered. I didn't really like the idea of Bella funding this adventure, but there wasn't really another option. Cash was something that I never had a lot of, especially the amount this project was going to take.

"I've got some money saved. College fund, you know."

She must be desperate if she was willing to use her college savings to pay for this. Who was I to disagree with her? I nodded, flashing her a grin. Besides, who cares what I had to do if it meant that I'd get to spend more time with Bella.