Wounded; Fated
Chapter Two
Leah's point of view
I slipped into a pair of fitted black shorts and a croped tank-top. It was white with brown feathers all over it giving it a... well, a tribal feel. I put on a pair of brown strappy sandals, and fixed my hair into the half-up, half-down style I had thrown five minutes into, and then left the house, still attempting to perfect the two braids holding the rest of my hair back.
Everyone was meeting on the beach shortly. It was only Jenna's group of friends - which was half the school, surely, by the way she spoke - that would be there, and she told me to bring the gang along. Of course she just had to meet Jacob and Sam. She knew the history - the human-safe one, of course, and I tried not to make Sam seem like too big of a jerk. I had really grown close to her at work.
"Leah!" Jacob called, sitting in my driveway in his rabbit. "I fixed the leak in the front," he said proudly as I got in.
I smirked. "Why don't you just become a local mechanic? A lot easier than chasing vampires around all day, you know."
He chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, maybe someday. Seth coming with us, too?"
"Nope," I said as he put it in gear. "He left earlier with Embry."
"Embry's seriously intent on finding some half-native girl or something tonight and cozying up," he laughed. "Maybe Seth wants the same?"
I shivered. "My baby brother does not want a girlfriend."
"Alright, Lee, whatever you say."
I let the subject drop, and prayed he wouldn't be subject to the lifeless effect of imprinting anytime soon, or at all.
The day was slowly fading away and all that was left of the earlier drizzle was crossing over into the sunset as the dark sky continued to take precedence. "Not a bad night for the fire, though," I said, looking up to the retreating rain clouds. "Not too windy, or rainy. They got a good night."
Jacob looked over to me, before refocusing on the road.
"What?" I asked, raising a brow.
He grinned. "Nothing, nothing. You just sound like... Well, a mother or something. Someone old," he teased, winking.
I raised a brow. "Uncalled for, Jacob Black," I teased back.
He shrugged. "Maybe you're just too old for me now."
"Not funny," I said seriously.
"Naw, dating an older woman gives me credit with the guys," he continued on.
"Sometimes I feel like I did get a child, just like Quil," I nudged him.
"Hey!"
He pulled into the small parking space by the beach, and we both got out. There had to be about a hundred kids down on the beach, a huge fire in the center of all the commotion of beer, liqour and whoops and hollars.
"It's pretty much identical to my grad party," I said, shaking my head.
"When was that? Like ten years ago?"
I hit him, and shook my head as I stalked down the beach, grinning.
"Aw, c'mon, Lee," he caught up to me and picked me up from behind, his arms around my waist.
I squrimed out of his grasp, smiling as I turned to face him, kissing him. I wasn't sure how long the kissing went on for, but we were interupted, not by the loud kids on the beach - which we still hadn't made it down too - but by the pack retreating down as well.
"Guys, cut it out!" Seth groaned.
I pulled back and blushed before rolling my eyes and breaking from his grasp. We all fluttered down to the beach, and Jenna found me instantly.
"Leah!" She cried, throwing her arms around my neck. I could tell she was feeling a buzz, or maybe it was just too many energy drinks and sugar. Either way, I hugged her back.
"Hey, how's the party?" I asked as she pulled back.
"Good, better now that you're here. You finally get to meet Jeremy."
I nodded. "Can't wait."
Jacob was beside me, holding my hand, but it was like she just noticed him. "Hey," she blushed deeply, her pale cheeks holding the colour well.
"Nice to meet you," he declared. "I heard plenty about you."
"You, too," she said, giggling. Sometimes I forgot Jacob was, well, extremely hot. She turned back to me and watched as my friends took a spot down by the water, futher. "Which one's Sam?"
Jacob kissed my cheek. "I'll be back," he figured they needed some girls time, and followed the others.
I motioned over. "The really tall one," I gestured. "Second last on the left."
Her eyes lingered on him for a few minutes before nodding. "I can't believe he hurt you like that. What a jackass."
I laughed, "We're fine now. Well, as fine as we will be. Besides, I have Jacob now."
"He's so hot," she said, looking between us.
"I know," I winked. "Where's your boyfriend?"
"Jeremy's over with the guys," she gestured. "Come over."
I hesitantly followed her over to the large group of teenage guys surrounding the nearest fire. Jenna wrapped her arms around a thin, tall guy, with shaggy brown hair. When he turned, I saw ice blue eyes that complimented Jenna's own. They really were a good looking couple.
Jenna's blond hair hung in curls, down to her chest and her dress was tight to her small, but curvy frame, and all lace until the bust, where it pinched at the waist a flowed down loosely until it met her knees. Jeremy wore a pair of nice, but casual jeans, and a black dress shirt.
"Leah I guess?" Jeremy asked.
"The one and only. Nice to meet you."
Jeremy chuckled and hugged me in a friendly gesture. The usual 'I've heard a lot about you' lines were dropped, and conversation started to flow easily.
Jacob's point of view
"You should have stayed home," Quil warned. "We told you we'd make up some excuse so you didn't have to come, Jake."
I sat on a rock, facing away from the party, looking at my friends. "I'm fine," I said, leaning back on my arms.
Though, I was far from it, and they guys could tell. Surrounded by about a hundred high school girls I hadn't seen before, I was honestly kind of scared... No, terrified that maybe, there was some unlikely possibility that I would lay eyes on one, and not be able to ever look back, like the rest of the guys. Imprinting was a very real possibility, unlikely, but still.
"You don't look fine," Jared mentioned. "You said the elders think you guys are good in some kind of weird way, right?"
I shrugged. "They didn't exactly phrase it like that..."
Sam raised a brow. "How exactly did they phrase it then?"
Jacob sighed. "Just that there could be a possibility where every one else has imprinted, that I won't, and we were a good fit if it didn't happen."
Embry groaned. "Dude... Did you tell Leah?"
"Maybe," I grumbled. "I need her to trust me."
"But you're still scared you'll imprint?"
"Sometimes. But even if it ever happens, I won't hurt her. I'll be there for her."
"It's not that easy," Sam said.
"It is for me. There's only her; just her."
Jared sighed. "It's not that easy," he reinforced Sam's words. "And you know it; you've been there, in all of our heads."
"Shut up," I sighed. "I'm not going to leave her, or imprint, so I don't have to worry about that."
Sam's frown line just got deeper and he shook his head. "I hope you're right."
The night progressed nicely, and after Leah was done seeing her friends, she returned over to the rocks that we all sat on, and sat beside me. "Jenna wants to hang out sometime with you and Jeremy. You should come over and meet him," she said gently.
I gave her a friendly smile and kissed her cheek. "Later, I'm sure they're really busy."
She shrugged. "Alright. Did you want a beer?"
One of Jenna's friends ran over. She was as drunk as someone could get and stand upright, Leah noticed. "Jess? Come on, I think it's time you sit down.. Or go home."
But Jessica wasn't listening to her. Her eyes were locked and suddenly, I knew she didn't remember why she had came over in the first place.
