- APRIL 7th -
Driving to school in the morning with Bella was quickly becoming my least favorite part of my day. I still wasn't really talking to her so we usually rode in silence. At least she always spent the free hour after school Charlie gave her with Edward so I was able to have the truck. I frequently used that freedom to go down to the reservation to visit Jacob.
Pulling up in front of Emily's house, I pushed down on the horn a few times to announce my arrival, even though the loud rumble of the truck's engine probably already did that for me. Some days the boys would come out to greet me and some days they wouldn't. More times than not, the days they didn't were days when Emily had made them something to eat. Other days, it was because they had had a particularly rough night on patrol. None of those variables seemed to be the case today as my boys, minus Sam, came outside.
"Hang on! We have an extra member today!" I called happily as I beamed at a shirtless and also smiling Quil.
"Yeah, finally been let in on the big secret," Quil teased.
It felt bad to admit, but after getting all caught up in the whole 'werewolves exist' thing followed by pretty much being told that I had to become a vampire, I had completely forgotten about Quil. The last month or so must have sucked for him, being in the dark, not knowing why his two best friends had completely changed and ignored him.
"That's awesome!" I said, giving him a quick hug.
"Yeah, it's not too bad."
Letting go, I moved to stand next to Jacob who placed an arm around my shoulders before bending down to kiss the top of my head.
"So what are you boys up to today, staying out of trouble?"
Jared gave a sarcastic scoff, a cocky smirk on his lips. "We always stay out of trouble."
I shook my head at him. "Oh yeah, you guys are the picture of innocence."
We made our way inside after that. Emily and Sam both called out a greeting from the kitchen as we passed. It seemed like Emily was always making something. It made sense though seeing as the boys always seemed to be eating.
Congregating in the living room, we all fought over who got to sit on the couch. Embry had made it first and launched himself onto the cushions only to be quickly pulled off by the combined efforts of Paul and Jared. Jacob and Quil were quick to then push those two out of the way and try to sit down. I stood off to the side, silently waiting for an opening. Which was all I really could do seeing as the five of them towered over me.
But my time did come. After maybe a minute of struggling, the five of them had moved to the floor where they began mock wrestling. Being sure to skirt around them, I took a seat next to one of the arms and crossed my legs. The boys continued to struggle until I turned the TV on. Five tanned faced turned towards me, similar looks of surprise tugging their features.
"Seriously?" Embry asked.
"Seriously. I don't know how you guys keep letting this happen," I answered with a shrug.
This wasn't the first time this had played out like this so I really didn't understand how they kept letting it happen. They always got so caught up in fighting each other that they made it more than easy for me to get a seat and turn on the TV.
"Do you guys mind? I'm trying to watch this," I said after a few seconds, putting an annoyed expression on my face.
The boys all looked at each other before getting up and coming towards me. Jared and Quil grabbed me on either side while Paul and Embry quickly started tickling my sides and feet respectively. Instantly, I began laughing while struggling to get away.
"No fair! Four against one!" I gasped out between laughing fits. "Jacob, help!"
"Nah, you got yourself into this one, babe," Jacob said with a shake of his head, a large grin in place as he grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels.
Paul and Embry continued to tickle me until I managed to wiggle free and accidentally kicked Embry in the face.
"Damn, Alex!" he cried, intently pulling away with a hand over his cheek. "That hurt."
"Sorry, but I'm not responsible for what happens when I'm tickled," I said matter-of-factly as I tried to catch my breath.
He grumbled and moaned for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders.
Everything calmed down after that. To make him feel better even though his cheek stopped hurting after a few seconds, Embry was given a seat on the couch next to me. Jacob sat on the floor in front of me with his back against the armrest and his head leaning against my legs. Quil sprawled out on the floor next to Jacob leaving Paul and Jared to rock paper scissors for the remaining seat on the couch.
Jared won.
And so we sat watching TV for the next hour or so, joking around and enjoying each other's company. I ended up calling my dad, telling him that I was having dinner with Jacob. I was just having so much fun hanging out with them that I didn't want to leave until I had to.
- TWO WEEKS LATER -
- APRIL 20th -
"So how far behind are you on your school work?" I asked my fingers slowly working their way through Jacob's short hair.
We were in his room, sitting on his tiny bed. Well, I was sitting; he was lying with his head in my lap. The nightly patrols were really taking a lot out of him. He should be sleeping right now, getting ready for the patrol tonight, but he was insistent on spending some time alone with me.
"Oh, you don't even want to know," Jacob muttered with a weak chuckle.
"Jacob!" Looking down, I gave him a stern look. "I understand you're trying to protect people, but you can't not do your homework. What are your teachers saying?"
"I'm not exactly their favorite student at the moment," he admitted before turning his head and burying his face in my stomach.
We sat there for a while, me lightly stroking his hair while he dozed with his head in my lap. It was nice. I'm not going to lie, though, after a while I felt like I was going to die. I was already sitting in a tank top and a pair of shorts, but that wasn't enough to keep from burning up when Jacob was this close. I know he couldn't help it, but sometimes I wished he wasn't like a mini space heater. It didn't help that he looked so sweet and innocent while he slept that I couldn't bring myself to voice my slight discomfort.
But after a half hour, I couldn't take it anymore. I gently started to shake his chest until he shifted his head again and peeked an eye open.
"I'm sorry, but I feel like I'm sitting on the sun," I tried to be as apologetic as possible with my words.
"No," Jacob mumbled as he slowly got up. "No, I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's not your fault you're like a million degrees."
Another silence passed over us before I looked out his window and gave out a sigh. It was starting to get dark. I should be getting home soon and Jacob would have to be at Emily's in the next couple of hours. Giving out one last sigh, I pushed myself up from the bed and walked towards the small stack of extra clothes that I had brought. Jacob may be a mini furnace, but outside was still cold and rainy. Jacob got up as well and rolled his shoulders before crossing his arms over his chest while he waited for me.
"No, you don't have to see me off. You should try and sleep some more," I insisted as I pulled my black sweatpants over my shorts.
"Nah, it's fine. I'll have to be going soon anyway. And I have something I wanna show you."
"What's that?" I asked as I pulled my hair out from under my jacket.
Although he was tired, his face lit up. I gave him a confused look, but that only seemed to make him more excited. I tried a pout, but he still didn't budge. With a shake of my head, I zipped up my coat before moving towards the door and gestured for him to lead the way. He put an arm around my shoulder and quickly led me out of the room.
We walked through the house and stopped at the front door. He held up a finger before heading off into the kitchen where he grabbed something small before coming back. He then held open the door for me. But when I had headed off towards my truck, he called me back.
"Follow me."
"Where?" I asked, once more confused.
The same smile stretched across Jacob's face as he headed over to his garage. "You'll see."
He held the door open for me and I stepped in. Seriously, it looked the same. I had no idea what he wanted to show me. I turned towards him and raised an eyebrow only for him to grab my right hand and place something inside it.
My mouth fell open as I took in the sight of a pair of keys, my mind processing what it meant. "Are you serious?"
Jacob nodded his head. "Yeah."
I couldn't control myself; I jumped on him. My arms wrapped around his neck and my legs around his waist. I kissed his cheek, his temple, his forehead and then his other cheek before my lips found his. The feeling of his skin on me warmed my whole body and the kiss sent out a tingle that moved all the way to my toes. His free hand slipped around me and held me close to him. When we broke apart to breathe, I buried my head into the crook of his neck before hopping down and rushing across the garage to the Rabbit.
"I remembered you telling me about how it sucks driving with Bella so I figured if you had the Rabbit you wouldn't have to worry about that."
"Oh my god, but this is your baby." I was seriously so excited.
"You're my baby," he replied with a wink, causing a blush to appear on my cheeks. "Besides, it's not like I'm driving at the moment. She deserves to be driven."
I guess he made a good point. Seeing as he was a werewolf now, he really didn't need his car. Whenever he came to visit me, he almost always came through the woods. Opening the door, I took a seat behind the wheel and started her up. It was still loud, be not as loud as the truck. Jacob followed me over to the car and draped his arm over the open door, bending down so he was looking in.
"I gave her a look over already and she still runs like a beauty. I figured you could drive her home and I would follow you in the truck, just in case though."
"Okay!"
I was bouncing in the driver's seat. Jacob just smiled before taking the truck keys from me and closing the door. He then went and opened the big garage door, waiting till I had eased the car out before closing it again. He then ran over to the truck and hopped in. It was only a few seconds before he was turning the keys and bringing it to life.
I gave him a thumbs up before pulling onto the road and heading home. It took me a couple of minutes to get a feel for driving the new vehicle. But once I got the hang of it I was in love. Everything worked better on it then the truck. Turning on the radio, I found one of my favorite stations and sang along all the way home.
After about a half hour, I was pulling into the driveway and Jacob parked the truck on the street in front of the house. Getting out, I ran to him and gave him another hug.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
"You're welcome," he said with a chuckle before bending down to give me a quick kiss. "Make sure you take good care of her."
"I will, I promise." I couldn't stop smiling.
Giving him one last kiss, I watched as he headed into the woods. A quick howl came from behind the trees, Jacob's last goodbye. I shook my head before heading into the house, sitting down in the living room to wait for Charlie.
- THREE WEEKS LATER-
- MAY 14TH -
"No, that's fine. I'll come up tomorrow or this weekend. You get some sleep."
Fumbling with my keys and books, I held my phone in place with my shoulder. It took me a while, but I was soon able to unlock the car. Dumping my crap into the passenger seat, I sat down behind the wheel and grabbed my phone again.
"I feel so bad, I haven't seen you in forever," Jacob complained on the other end.
I gave a chuckle. "Babe, it's been, like, two days."
"That's about as long as forever. I miss you."
"I miss you too, but you really do need to get some sleep. Just call me tonight before you go on patrol."
Jacob gave a sigh that turned into a yawn. "Okay, I promise."
"Alright. Love you."
"Love you, too."
There was a moment of silence as the line went dead. As was becoming more typical for me when I said goodbye to Jacob, a slight pain started to work its way through my chest. Two days did feel like a long time since I'd last seen him, but I had to put his well being over my girlish need to be with him. If I were to go over there right now, he would just keep himself awake to spend time with me and that was not something that I wanted him to do. I was not going to be one of the reasons why he was not getting enough sleep.
Putting the keys into the ignition, I started up the Rabbit before making the short trip home. The cruiser was parked in its usual spot, confusing me for a moment. Very rarely did dad ever beat me home when I went there after school. Grabbing my stuff, I headed into the house.
"Dad?" I called out as I kicked off my shoes by the front door.
"In here," came his response.
Dropping my books down on the table, I followed the voice into the living room. "Why are you home already?"
"I'm working a split shift tonight," he explained, quickly tucking away the paper he had been reading. "Why are you home? I thought you would be going over to see Jacob."
I let out a sigh before walking over to join him on the couch. "Not today, he said he was tired so I thought I shouldn't bother him."
We then talked about each other's day so far. Dad told me how he had come home around one and just sat around watching TV, but that he would have to head back to the station around five. I told him about the few things that had happened to me at school, the homework I had been given as well as how I had done on a recent history test.
After a while, Charlie went to change back into his uniform while I sat there flipping through TV channels. Went he came back, we sat in silence watching a cooking show until Bella showed up. Charlie looked at his watch to see what time it was.
"Four o'clock on the dot, as usual. Does he just carry around a stopwatch or something?"
I muted the TV and looked over the back of the couch at my older sister. Normally she would just go upstairs to her room but for some reason, she let out a sigh before making her way into the living room with us. Setting her backpack next to the couch, she took a seat at the other end and put her feet up on the coffee table.
"He's got a name, it's Edward. And what? Now he's too punctual for you?"
Charlie grunted before leaning forward and resting his arms on his legs.
"You do know why you're being punished, right?"
I leaned back, not wanting to get in the way. As far as I knew, this was going to be the first time dad was going to actually talk to Bella about what had happened over a month ago. He had been busy lately so they hadn't exactly been in the same room very long. In his down time, he would be relaxing in the living room while Bella was often up in her room.
"I put you through hell," Bella answered, looking down at her hands.
"Yes, you did… But I do have other reasons for grounding you, like, uh; I just want you to get some separation from him."
I stretched out a hand and rested it on his shoulders for support. Dad was never the 'lay down the law' type of parent. Very rarely did he freak out on us for not doing something so I could understand why he was acting so uncomfortable. But I agreed with him. Edward was bad news and had way too much of a hold on Bella. Sure there was a point in time where I liked him and thought of him as a friend. But then there was the whole situation where he left Bella in a zombie-like depressive stage only to freak out and pretty much seal both hers and mines fates when he thought she killed herself. He made our presence known and left us pretty much no choice but to become either vampires or be killed.
That was not okay with me. There may have been a time when the thought of becoming a vampire excited me. But that was before I found my soul mate in Jacob. I had a new endgame in mind, one that didn't involve me drinking blood to stay alive.
"Dad, there's nothing really that you can say. Edward it in my life," Bella insisted with a shake of her head.
I rolled my eyes.
"I'm getting that," Charlie mumbled unhappily before taking a drink of his beer. "So, alright, how about this. I'll make you a deal. No more being grounded… if you use your newfound freedom to see some of your other friends, too. Like, I don't know, you could go down with your sister some time to see Jacob."
I quickly sat up straighter and whipped my head around to look at Charlie. He gave me a look and shrugged his shoulders.
"Alex, you can't keep him all to yourself. He's your sisters' friend too."
Turning my head around, I looked at Bella. Her eyes held a sad expression. I know she had been trying to talk to Jacob, he told me, but he was still mad at both her and Edward. He didn't like that I was being forced to turn into a vampire, his enemy. Just like me, he was willing to sacrifice anything to make sure it didn't happen.
I turned back to look at Charlie. "Fine."
An awkward silence fell over the three of us for a few seconds before I pushed myself up off of the couch.
"I think I'll go start my homework."
Returning to the kitchen, I grabbed my books and stuff before quickly heading up the steps. Emptying my arms over my bed, I pulled my phone from my back pocket and quickly typed up a message to Jacob. I hoped he didn't have his volume too loud, but I wanted to give him a heads up that Bella might be calling more often and possibly be coming down with me on my next visit… if she didn't try to go herself first.
Authors Note:: And here we have the second part. These used to be part of the first chapter, but since I added another section I thought it would just be easier to split it up into two so it's not one mega long chapter. Thanks for all the support, love you readers!
