"Goddammit," Leah hissed.
She was standing along the wall of the poorly lit, small, nearly empty room; the only items were some old cardboard boxes and a wooden table. Her back was facing the mirror along the back wall. She was looking over her shoulder trying to zip up her dress. The zipper had gotten stuck and she was having a bitch of a time trying to fix it. She had been working on it for the past few minutes. The only progress she made was becoming more and more flustered. She was about to rip the stupid thing off.
She had chosen to get ready here, in a back room at LaPush's small and only community center, instead of with Emily and the other bridesmaids. She begged Jacob to let her patrol until the last possible minute so she had no choice but to get ready here, but she had to promise him she would lose track of time and "forget". She didn't want to have to deal with all the last minute running around and squealing from the other girls. The dress fitting, bridal shower, and bachelorette party was more than enough for Leah to deal with. Most of all she didn't want to have to support Emily and hold her hand the way Emily wanted her to. She had accepted that Sam and Emily are together a long time ago. That didn't mean she wanted to be Emily's rock as she married Leah's ex-boyfriend. Emily desperately wanted her and Leah to be as close as they once were. But unfortunately that relationship was damaged beyond repair.
There was a knock at the door. "What," Leah barked. The door opened and Jacob walked into the room. As soon as he saw her he started to smirk. The sight of Leah Clearwater in a dress struggling to do up her zipper was a sight to see.
"Having trouble?" A familiar scowl covered her face. To be honest he almost didn't recognize her when her face wore any other expression. "Are you going to just stand there or are you going help me," Leah snarled. Jacob laughed and walked over to where she was standing.
"Turn around," he said. She turned around as Jacob started to fiddle with her zipper. After a few moments he managed to unstick the zipper and zip it up. He placed his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her in the mirror.
"Look what the wolf dragged in." Leah rolled her eyes.
"You don't look so bad yourself," she said sarcastically. He knew her current attitude was a bluff. She has been his Beta for the past three years. He knew she was just putting up a giant wall to prevent anyone from seeing what she was really feeling. He placed his chin on top of her head.
"Breathe," he whispered. Leah took a deep breath. "You can do this," he whispered. Leah just nodded. If she opened her mouth to say anything her voice would waver and her entire cover would be shot. Her façade of strength was the only anchor she could hold onto these days. And Jacob. Jacob was her anchor too.
Leah's life was stagnate. She wasn't moving towards anything. Sam and Emily's wedding announcement finally got Leah to get her ass in gear and do something. They would now be La Push' golden couple. Emily is going to have the life she always wanted, and Sam will do anything to make sure she has it. It was either leave or watch them as they lead their perfect life, as Leah's life stood still. Leah still loved both of them, in an I-know-you-hurt-me-and-broke-my-heart-but-for-some-reason-I-still-love-you kind of way, but she still didn't want to have to watch them. Especially now that she knew Emily was pregnant. Yes, Emily Young, very soon to be Emily Uley, was pregnant. She hadn't told anyone yet, but Leah knew. They had been taking their sweet time planning the wedding. Sam didn't want there to be too much stress on Emily's shoulders. Then, all of a sudden one day they high tailed this wedding into gear. A month a half later, here we are. It wouldn't have been a huge deal that Emily was pregnant before the wedding, but Sam being who he was wouldn't want his child to be born out of wedlock, especially on account his own father being such a disappointment.
Emily hadn't been horrible to her bridesmaids; the dress actually was pretty. It was a simple knee length, yellow dress. The entire wedding was that way: simple, but pretty. It's the only type that could be planned in such a short amount of time. There were three bridesmaids total: Leah, Eva, Emily's sister, and Tessa, Emily's childhood friend. The wedding would be small, only close friends and family and all the members of the wolfpack. The reception, on the other hand, would be huge. It was going to be a large party. Anyone who wanted to could come.
Jacob glances towards the corner at a plain black backpack. "Is that all you're taking?"
Leah follows his gaze. "As opposed to what, exactly?" The only items she had in the backpack were the few pieces of clothing she owned that fit and didn't have large tears in them, some pictures, and the money she's been saving since she was thirteen.
"Just take care of Elmer, okay. She's delicate." Leah rolled her eyes. For her 23rd birthday, which was three weeks prior, Jacob had given her his precious Rabbit. Renesmee wanted to start a project with Jacob so he bought this old, rusted piece of junk they can restore together.
Her birthday went pretty much forgotten, not that she minded. She didn't want to have to deal with everyone being phony and wishing her a happy birthday when she knew most of them couldn't care less. She had spent the night drinking beer and watching a movie marathon on TV with Jacob. He looks into her eyes through the mirror. "Are you sure about this?" Leah turns around.
"Postitive. It's not like I have a reason to stay." He sighed. He knew there was nothing in the world that could change her mind. Well, almost nothing.
"Call me, when you get there, where ever you're going."
"Yes, Jacob," she said sarcastically, "God, you're wore than my Mom."
The only people who knew about her leaving were her mom, Seth, and Jacob. Leah felt a clean exit would be best. She didn't want any long goodbyes. To her surprise her mother was supportive of her decision to leave. She wasn't too pleased about it, but she knew it was the only way her daughter would be able to led any semblance of a normal life. Seth, to Leah's surprise, was really upset about her leaving. Although she promised to call and check in every once in awhile, he still was short with her for days after she told him. She figured as much as he complained about her, he never actually imagined what it would be like if she wasn't there. And now that she wasn't going to be there, he realized what her absence was going to be like. This morning before she left for her final patrol he gave her a long bear hug. She had to fight to push back the tears. "I love you, she had whispered in his ear. "Love you too," he had replied.
Jacob glanced at the clock on the wall and checked the time. "We better go. It's almost time." Leah took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out slowly through her mouth.
"Okay," she said. They both headed towards the door.
"Wait," Jacob said. In an abrupt movement he pulled Leah into a hug, similar to the way Seth held her this morning. He held her tight as he turned his head and placed his cheek on top of her head. "I'll miss you Daffy." Leah stood stiff in his arms. After a few moments she relaxed and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'll miss you too, Bugs." They remained in their embrace for nearly a minute before Jacob stepped back.
"Let's get this show on the road." He held his arm out for her to take. Against her will, a small smile spread across her face. She hooked her arm into his and they walked out of the room.
The wedding went off without a hitch. As Leah walked down the aisle to the front the room she kept her gazed directly straight ahead. She did her best to keep her face blank and to not let her eyes wander to Sam. As she watched Emily approach Sam, she couldn't help but notice her smile through her veil. From what she could see of her face, Emily was glowing.
Leah kept her eyes on Jacob while Sam and Emily were saying their vows. He kept making faces at her to try and make her smile. A few times throughout the ceremony a small smile reached her lips. She had made eye contact with her mom and Seth; they made her feel braver. Especially her mom. She was never as close to her mom as she was to her dad, but now that she was leaving their connection seemed to grow stronger.
There was a tense moment of silence when the preacher said: "If there is anyone in this room who objects to the union of these two people, speak now or forever hold your peace." Leah swore more than one head turned in her direction, as if she would horrible enough to ruin Sam and Emily's wedding. As if she would be stupid enough to believe Sam would ever leave his imprint for her; as if he'd ever want her again.
Sam and Emily kissed and the whole room erupted into applause and cheers. They both had enormous smiles on their faces as they walked back down the aisle together. Leah and the rest of the bridesmaids followed them. She was the last in line so she was able to slip away without anyone noticing her. She snuck outside and hid behind the building as everyone left for the reception on First Beach. It was a beautiful day; the first time the sun has shined in months. It was going to be a lovely reception.
After everyone left Leah reentered the building and hurried back into the room where her stuff was stashed. She took off her dress and grabbed a change of clothes. She folded up the dress and left it on the table along her shoes and borrowed jewelry. They would find it sooner or later. She grabbed her backpack and left. She ran the mile to where she stashed the Rabbit. She got in and took a deep breath. She sat there for awhile, not thinking of anything in particular. All of a sudden she realized her face was wet. She could taste the tears as they reached her lips. Leah hadn't cried since her dad died. It took her a moment to put a label on what she felt: relief. She felt as if a huge weight was lifted off of her heart. Leah felt really light, like if she didn't hold onto something she would float away. She was no longer tied to La Push as she had been before. She could finally leave and restart her life. She wasn't Leah, Sam's heartbroken ex-girlfriend, or Leah, Jacob's Beta. She was just Leah.
She reached into the glove compartment and dug through all the crap until she found a nearly empty package of tissues. She cleaned herself up and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked into her eyes and lifted her chin. She can do this. She started the car and drove onto the main road. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she knew she wherever it was, she was going to be happier there than she was here.
A/N: For those who are interested, I put pictures of the bridesmaids dresses in my profile.
This is my first published anything. It's kind of exciting!