Heyy thank you for sticking around and reading this I know it has been a while since my last update but exams are getting in the way. I don't plan on rushing any of this so be prepared for things to develop slowly (but not too slow). Please R&R at the end! Xx
Jacob wasn't sure what it was about this girl, but whenever they were around each other he felt a spark of anger, and he couldn't look at her without seeing red. Was it because she cared? Maybe the fact that she tried to get to know him and see his side made him defensive. It was odd the way his feeling for a new girl had become so negative when she hadn't really done anything wrong.
There was something about her that he recognized, like déjà vu. It didn't make sense, as she was completely different from the majority of girls he knew. Her hair was violent red, like illuminated copper, and it fell gracefully down her spine. She had a small frame, one he could easily crush, but she seemed strong and unbreakable at the same time.
Her figure was average, just filling into herself, growing into a woman. But that wasn't what had his mind whirling; it was her face; her bright green eyes that contrasted strongly with her dark lashes, and her pale skin; sprinkled with freckles.
It was the way her lips revealed all her emotions as she bit and pulled and pressed them unconsciously. Their colour could change from rose pink to white to deep red in a matter of seconds. He was always looking at her lips, like they were the key to understanding her, and for some unknown reason he had to understand her…
Opening the door to his small wooden home, he called out to his dad and headed towards the fridge; he needed food to occupy his mind.
Billy came rolling into the kitchen, his expression sour and reluctant. Jacob smiled knowingly and reached up to the box of pills above the fridge. He poured out two white and one orange and handed them to his unhappy father with a glass of water.
"You know, I used to look forward to you coming home" Billy said, swallowing the medication quickly.
Jacob laughed, and went back to making a triple meat sandwich.
It had been Jake and his dad for as long as he could remember; his mother had passed away when he was still an infant, in the same accident that had injured his father.
He could see it in his eyes; the constant grief and loneliness that couldn't be overcome, even with Jake around. The pictures were still around the house, watching, smiling, and laughing from a time long gone.
Sometimes he would blame himself, as the only reason she had died was to protect him from the impact. He had been weak, so she had been strong. Now it was different, and he wished she was here to see how strong he had grown.
They were close, Jake and Billy. But the recent change of character in Jacob had put a strain on them both. Deep down Jacob knew that his father blamed himself for Jacobs' anger and unhappiness, whilst his son blamed himself for his father's grief.
"Is everything getting better at school? I haven't had any letters saying they're chucking you out"
Billy grinned, but Jacob knew the seriousness of the matter
"Everything's cool dad, don't stress about it."
And yet again his thoughts went back to Nessie. The project they have to do together and the things that she knew about. Thinking of her changed him, why was he so angry all of the time? He grabbed his plate of food and headed to his room. He needed to stop thinking about her, or at least work out why she made him feel this way.
It was the same dream; again, he was running up that godforsaken hill, trying to gain speed and distance. The trees clawed and slapped at his burning skin. so tired, he was so tired, but the anger was like nothing he had ever felt before, scorching through his muscles and pushing at the back of his eyes. She had picked him, and she had smiled.
Jake woke suddenly to the sound of the telephone ringing through the house. His dad was probably out back or maybe Charlie had picked him up for fishing. What day was it…Friday?
Jacob fell out of bed in a tangle of sheets in an attempt to get the phone.
"Hello?" his voice was thick with sleep
"Good morning Mr. Black. This is Madeline from head office; I was just calling to remind you that you are on a warning, and therefore, should make attending all lessons a priority. Do you have a good reason as to why you are not in your first lesson?"
"SHIT!"
"Apparently not then Mr. Black. Should I inform your teacher that you are running late and will join the class shortly?"
"BYE MADDIE!" Jake slammed down the phone and raced to the bathroom. Great, another fucked up morning.
By the time he made it to school, first lesson was almost over, so he sat at the back of the class and attempted to take notes. But the only thing to appear on the paper was a smile, an exact copy of the one she had given him when he told her he loved her. That smile, so intoxicating and mesmerizing, but also haunting and terrifying too. There was something he couldn't quite work out though, as he could have sworn that smile had become more attractive lately.
At lunch he went to the parking lot, hoping to have some privacy and a calming cigarette when he noticed the glint of copper in the corner of his eye.
Standing by a silver Volvo was the infamous Edward Cullen, and next to him was Nessie. They were talking, innocently it seemed, but he knew better than to trust that smug son of a bitch.
He should have guessed Nessie would find a way of sneaking herself into his claws, I mean, who could resist Charming Edward Cullen? He grazed the lighter but the sparks wouldn't ignite. Frustrated he threw the piece of crap on the floor and shoved the pack back in his jacket pocket.
Nessie must have heard him as she turned and looked at him, no real expression on her face, just looking. Edward tapped her shoulder and together they walked back inside.
Jake was furious. She claimed to know his problems yet she fraternizes with the enemy! And to think he had planned on being nice to her, laying off the newbie. Well, the stupid bitch would get what was coming to her.
It had definitely been a strange morning for Nessie, and she was slightly looking forward to a relaxing English lesson. But when she saw Jacob enter the room her heart seemed to freeze, he was tense, she could tell by the way his shoulders were set and his stride was heavy and harsh against the weak wooden floor. She tried to catch his gaze but he didn't notice her.
Towards the end of the lesson a piece of paper was handed to her from the guy next to her, he smiled sweetly, but when she unfolded the note she recognized the handwriting;
Your house tomorrow
11:00 am
Jake
Nessie looked up to see his glaring at his tabletop; he could practically burn holes through it with the intensity of his gaze. She noticed yer again that it wasn't a question, so sent a scribbled reply of conformation;
Yes sure, but you don't have my address.
He seemed to smirk at her reply, than write something else and pass it to the messenger;
You're the new kid; everyone knows where you live…
Right of course, she forgot how small Forks actually was. But she was still confused by his strange mood;
Hey are you ok? It seems like something is bothering you…
Finally he looked up at her, and the hostility in his eyes made her shiver. What had she done now? He folded up the note paper and ripped it up. Then, as the final bell rang, he shoved the remains in his pocket and stormed out the classroom.
Nessie sat there frozen. This was insane! Every time she thought they were making progress he shoved it straight back at her. This had to be the craziest first week she had experienced, anywhere…
They ignored each other for the rest of the afternoon, when they passed in the hallway and caught sight of each other across the parking lot, they acted like strangers. Nessie didn't have a clue how to deal with him, but thought it was easier to leave him alone today, and hopefully he would be better tomorrow when they had to work together…
She watched as he mounded his black motorbike and revved the engine. Other students scattered and threw themselves out the way as Jake dropped the clutch and accelerated out of the lot and down the road.
Thank god she wasn't the only one who was wary of him.
He arrived exactly at eleven, wearing his heavy black boots, dark wash jeans and a tight grey t-shirt. He dropped his rucksack by the door and toed of his boots. Despite his attitude towards Nessie, he was rather respectful to the rest of her house, and when her dad introduced himself, he was polite and friendly.
They started talking about Jakes bike, so nessie went into the kitchen and poured glasses of water and cleared the table ready for study. She heard her dad shout goodbye and the door opened and closed.
The house was now silent, and Jake came towards the table to sit in the spare seat furthest from Nessie. This was going to be awkward.
"So where do you want to start?" she said, in a surprisingly small voice, it seemed all the time she had spent building up her courage this morning had been wasted in that single line.
"The beginning seems like the best option" he drawled, taking a sip from the glass in front of him.
Nessie sighed 'hello sarcasm' she thought, pulling all her notes from her bag and laying them on the table.
"I think we should look at the use of conceits and metaphors. That's where the major points are, and his poetry is all metaphysical."
Jacob shrugged and picked up one of her sheets of paper, apparently scanning it for criticisms.
They fell into silence, with the unspoken understanding that Nessie would look at conceits and Jacob would look on her laptop for background information on metaphysical poetry.
Around two hours later, Nessie began to feel cramp in her hands. She had written about ten pages of analysis on conceits, and Jake hadn't spoken to her once.
"Can we take a break please, I'm starving, and all this writing is killing my hand."
Jake looked up and shrugged again. He hadn't been typing much, but every now and then there would be a couple of clicks.
Nessie went to the cupboard and pulled out some chips and chocolate bars. She moved past Jacob to get a bowl and saw the page up on the browser.
He was playing Tetris!
"Jake! What the hell? I have been working my ass off whilst you've been playing a stupid game!"
"Well it didn't look like you needed my help anyway" he mumbled.
"No Jake that is not the point! We are supposed to be doing paired work, not making one person do everything! I didn't say you could come over and just slack off!"
"Oh well I'm sorry for not being helpful! I must have misunderstood what it meant when I said I would work with you!" he shouted, slamming his hands down on the table so the glasses of water shook.
"Be careful!" shouted nessie, reaching for the glasses of water and moving them to the kitchen counter.
"I'm not the one making a huge mistake!" he shouted back, moving away from the table to loom over Nessie.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" she said, confused.
"You and Cullen. Big mistake." And with that he tried to push past her.
"Oh no you don't!" she said, blocking his way out "what are you talking about…me and Cullen?"
"I'm talking about the little chat you had at lunch. Smiling, laughing, probably fucking him with your eyes-
"NO! Oh my god Jacob why the hell would you think that?"
"You can't go being friends with him and trying to be nice to me, it isn't going to work!"
"You are so thick sometimes! Jake I was not eye fucking him; we were talking, because he knows a friend of mine"
"Who?"
"That's none of your business! If you want to go round accusing me of shit, then I don't need to tell you anything!"
Jacob was taken aback. He honestly thought she had been trying to get with Cullen, but the look on her face told him otherwise. She was angry, and her bright green eyes were alight with emotion.
"I'm so-
"No save it! Say it to someone who wants to deal with your shit" she moved away from Jake and went to put the food back.
"Hey I was about to apologize!" he said, turning to watch her move around the kitchen.
"God I am sick and tired of your changing attitude! One minute your angry and rude, the next your seemingly polite and then you get all angry again! Sort it out Jacob, because I'm sick of it."
Nessie left the room, hoping he would take initiative and leave, but as she climbed the stairs she heard him behind her. She didn't stop, but she could feel him following her as she went to her room and stood by the bay window.
"Look, Nessie, I'm sorry." His voice was low, and soft. He really did sound like he meant it.
She felt him move into the room, his heat descending upon her, around her. He was right behind her now, breathing slowly, carefully.
She turned to face him, her eyes searching his for something she recognized, but this was all new; the apology, the sincerity and the seeming desperation for her to accept it.
"I know" she whispered, taking a seat by the window and looking up at him, waiting for him to join.
He was cautious, and slowly he sat next her, quite close. His large frame perched on the edge of the window seat, seemed huge next to her.
"Tell me about it" she whispered, hoping he could let her in, let her help.
He tensed slightly, holding his breath, and then slowly, he exhaled and began to talk
"She called me her Sunshine, strange I know, but she said I was always warm, like rays of summertime. I helped her recover from the cold. But that seems to be all I was good at; making her forget winter, warming her up in preparation for the next big freeze.
She loved winter more than summer. We used to sit in the snow like angels and catch snowflakes on our tongues.
She thought it was the most beautiful time of year, winter, and she wished its beauty would last all year round. It was just the temperature she didn't like.
I once asked her what she would do if winter was hot. She told me it wasn't possible, and that it would be the most unnatural thing in the world. Then I told her to pick, and at first, she said she couldn't, then after a while she said if she had to, then she would pick summer, because of the hot sunshine…Looks like she was wrong about that one."
Jacob balled his fists and Nessie fought the urge to hold his hands. He was so tense; with anger and confusion falling off him in waves.
Nessie stayed quiet, and waited for him to continue, she knew he had more to say…
"She never realized the effect she had on people, on me. I think she knew she was beautiful, Edward made sure to tell her every time they made eye contact. But now, thinking about it, I don't think she ever appreciated her beauty, at least not the way other did. When she realized she had two guys after her, she picked up her game and played to her advantage. It makes me sick to think how I acted under her influence. The things I would say and do for her affection, the humiliation I endured, it was all worthless."
"No it wasn't, you learnt from it"
"Learnt what? That you can't trust beauty? Or that deception can be found in the most unexpected places, including your friends."
Nessie paused. She couldn't argue against his pain, it was deep rooted and long endured. She turned so her whole body was facing him, and her knees pushed against his thighs.
The sun had been pushed behind heavy clouds, which swept shadows across the room and shrouded the pair in temporary darkness.
"Your right, deception can be deadly. But that just means you have to search harder for the truth in people."
She saw his shadow move, and realized he was facing her, so close in the darkness that his voice tickled her skin.
"How do you know that I'm not deceiving you? Can you even trust that what I'm saying is true?"
"I trust you Jacob. You have no reason to lie to me" Nessie could feel his legs shift and the tension slowly dissipated from his tight muscles.
The air had changed, and the two sat in content silence as the shadows moved, letting the light reveal them and their differences. They looked at each other, slowly, letting the realization of what had just happened between them take effect. Then Jacob smiled something genuine and new gracing his features. Nessie returned the smile, feeling comfort and happiness wash over her.
"Thank you" he said, low and genuine.
"Well, what are friends for?"
"Hey, I was thinking, do ya, well, maybe you would like to join me and my friends at the beach tomorrow night? There is this little party going on, maybe you would like to go?"
They were walking down the front path to his bike, after what felt like hours of talking in her room. Nessie was glad they had the talk, as she now felt comfortable. Not just with Jacob, but in Forks, she finally had a reason to like the place.
"Wait, tomorrow is Sunday" she stated, not wanting to turn him down, but thinking what her dad would say to going out on a Sunday night.
"Yes…" he didn't seem too bothered by this fact
"So…it's the end of the weekend, we have school the next day"
Jacob grinned at her, something slightly dangerous glinting in his eye.
"Come on Ness' live a little!"
They were by the bike now, and Nessie felt intimidated just standing next to it.
"I'll think about it" she said, hoping that would be enough to keep him in a good mood.
"Sweet, I'll pick you up at about six?" he smiled again, before attaching his helmet and gloves.
With all the biker gear on he looked even more threatening, covered in black leather, with the tinted visor of his helmet reflecting the dim light of the setting sun.
Suddenly the black metal beast was purring, and Nessie watched as Jacob maneuvered off the drive and then tore down the road out of sight.
Nessie was doomed. She didn't really 'do' parties. As in, she cared far too much about her liver to ever get really drunk, and the thought of dancing made her stomach flip. It would be like watching a penguin try to waltz.
She spent the rest of the evening panicking about the party, and she hadn't even told her dad! When she did he didn't have the reaction she planned…
"I think that's a great idea Ness!" he shouted from the lounge, as Nessie tried not to burn the dinner.
"Since when have you been ok with going out on a Sunday night?" she replied, trying to sound nonchalant
"Well usually I would say no, but this looks like a good opportunity to meet new people. Go on Ness, it will be fun!"
Hmmm fun, she wasn't sure her dad knew the meaning of the word, or at least what it meant for a 17 year old teenager.
"Just stay away from the drugs and drink and you'll be fine"
Ok so maybe she was wrong…
He pulled up in a black truck. The paint was chipped and the sides coated in mud, but when Jake stepped out he looked immaculate.
A fresh royal blue t-shirt stretched over his chest, and dark wash jeans sat low on his hips. It was casual, as usual, but Nessie couldn't help the feeling that he had put a bit of effort into his choice of attire.
Nessie on the other hand, had spent the whole afternoon trying to find something to wear. Her bedroom currently resembled an atomic explosion of mismatched clothes, which would probably take hours to reorganize. Nessie hoped it was worth it.
"hey, you look nice" Jake grinned, letting his eyes slide up and down her figure, giving Nessie chills all across her skin.
"Thanks, I just grabbed whatever I could find, I hope its ok?"
It had to be ok, as she didn't think she could spend another couple of hours trying to find something else…
"Don't worry about it, look, we better get going" he turned and strode back to the truck as Nessie ran to catch up, remembering her bag at the last minute.
…
The journey was quiet, but Nessie liked the silence, it was peaceful. The day had been warm, with a light breeze tickling the trees. The sky was patchy, with clouds stretching across the sunset, casting spots of shadow across the red sky. It was warm in the truck, with the black seats absorbing the fading light. A couple of times Nessie turned to see Jake glance at her, appreciatively, she hoped, and yet again she felt the tingle of something down her spine.
She leant back and tried to relax against the soft seating. She felt the soft denim of her skinny jeans tighten as she readjusted her legs, and the breeze from the open window swept across the loose ripples of her top. It was a forest green fitted shirt, three quarter at the arms and made of soft cotton. The neck was open, leaving Nessie feeling slightly exposed, especially as Jake kept shifting his eye line towards her.
It was over as soon as it started, and Nessie jumped down to feel soft sand and pebbles beneath her sneakers. It was beginning to get dark, and Nessie saw no sigh of a party down on the beach. She began to panic. Where was everyone?
Jake saw her look of panic and grinned.
"I didn't bring you out here to hurt you Nessie. It's just a 5 minute walk across the beach, near the caves" and without another word he began to walk across the edge of the parking lot, towards the beach.
Nessie ran after him and they walked in silence again as he lead her towards the beach and the gentle waves of the sea. They walked across the shoreline for a couple of minutes, following it round to a group of caves. There Nessie saw the flicker of light and began to hear the music.
"Here we are" said Jake, resting a warm hand lightly on Nessie's shoulder as he lead her towards the cave.
Now she could see them, dancing in the shadow and growing darkness, some around the fires and others sitting on the logs. Dozens of bodies were dancing, singing, drinking without a care in the world.
She felt more relaxed when she recognized some of the girls dancing from her Lit class, and one of the guys shed spoken to on the first day waved her over. Nessie turned to see if Jake was still there, but found he had wandered off to his friends sitting by the fire. Her heart dropped slightly at the thought of his abandoning her for the night, but before she could hide in self pity she felt herself pulled into a group of bodies, swaying and jumping, turning and writhing.
They danced for what felt like ages as the heat of the fire spread over the soft dry sand and climbed up their legs and across their bare skin. The beat of the music vibrated beneath them, relentless against their dancing feet.
For the first time in a while, Nessie felt young and free, with nothing tying her down. Any burden she usually carried had been dropped in the fire and she felt confident and happiness with every sway of her hips and every move of her legs.
She was blissfully unaware of the onyx eyes watching her from the firelight. He was mesmerized, and whether that was due to the drink or something else he wasn't sure. Right now he couldn't stop watching her. The chatter from his friends was incoherent against the sultry swing of her hips that fell in time with her fiery hair that swung across her shoulders and slid down her back.
He felt it again, the sense that he had seen this before, like a black and white memory that had been colored differently. Another swig of his drink burned reality back into his senses; he wouldn't drink anymore, he had to drive Nessie home for goodness sake!
They still had an hour or two until he had to take her home, and hopefully the buzz he was experiencing would have dulled by then. Right now he could take this new found courage he felt and put it to some use.
Nessie saw Jake pull himself up from the fireside and walk towards her. She froze, but he didn't stop moving, closer and closer until he was right in front of her, looming over her small frame.
There were no words spoken as he continued to stare at her, letting the lazy beat of the drums pull them closer. Now they were very close, and Nessie found herself turning so her back was to him, allowing his hands to slip round her waist and shift to her hips. There they held her, warm and strong and the music pulled them back into its grip. He was warm against her, the muscles of his chest tensing against her back and shoulders. Gracefully she slipped her hands over his forearms and down until they rested over his.
The muscles in his arms tensed, but Nessie felt relaxed as their bodies continued to move in time against each other. She was surprised that their height difference didn't make dancing difficult, but he seemed to have an understanding of how her smaller frame worked against his.
"Thank you for coming tonight" he whispered, hot and low against her ear
"Well thank you for inviting me" Nessie squeaked back, unable to control the shivers his voice sent down her spine.
They continued to dance, but as it got more intimate he pulled her closer, letting her feel him, all of him, and she returned the contact with gentle ease, letting his hands roam higher and lower against her body.
Then he turned her, so she was facing him, her face to his chest, her hands roaming his hard planes as he found her hips and kept the rhythm. It was hotter now and even as the fire grew dim a different heat burned through Nessie as she rolled her hips and slid her hands across Jake's chest.
Then, in an instant the feeling was gone.
"Mmmmm Bella…" Jake sighed
In a split second Nessie went cold. She tensed and pushed away from his body falling out of the rhythm.
Jake stared at her, wide eyed in shock. It was an accident, he wasn't thinking straight!
"Nessie, hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-
"No Jacob, Don't."
She turned away from him and pushed through the crowds of oblivious dancers until she felt the cool chill of darkness surround her. Leaning against the Cold cave wall Nessie felt ashamed. Embarrassment flooded her as the last speck of fire in her body extinguished.
Of course he had been thinking of Bella. The boy had been madly in love with her and she couldn't just expect those feelings to be switched off. But it didn't stop her wishing that for one moment he could have had feelings for her.
The sound of footsteps was muffled by the sand but Nessie heard Seth approaching. He came up close and, without hesitation, pulled her into a warm hug.
"It's ok Nessie. He didn't mean it. He's a bit drunk, but he never meant to hurt you."
She could feel the tears threatening to fall.
"Just take me home Seth, please. I don't want to be here anymore."
He pulled back and smiled softly at her, then, when they checked she had everything, they set off across the dark beach to his truck. When she got home Nessie was restless and struggled to sleep. It was ridiculous really, she knew it wasn't Jake fault, but she felt somehow that her past was coming back to haunt her.
Another note, I know the text is all squished together, I don't know how to change it, I've tried making bigger spaces but it doesn't work…any advice?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter I will update ASAP