Chapter 2: I Never...

Come on… ring…

I stared up at the giant clock above the classroom door, willing the seconds forward and waiting impatiently for the final bell. I had survived another boring day at school and I couldn't wait to get outside into the sun; to let the wind blow through my hair as I rode my motorbike to La Push.

I was both anxious and excited to see Jacob. When I awoke in his bed this morning, he had already left for school because I was lucky enough to have a free period first thing on Fridays. A little extra sleep-in time was nice, especially since I had been up late last night rolling around with a werewolf-boy. Huh, I thought to myself, most people would be committed if thoughts of wolfy wrestling matches occupied their minds. It's a good thing we were miles from normal.

When I had eventually gotten up out of bed, I slipped on yesterday's worn clothes and rode to my empty house in Forks. Once there, I quickly changed into clean clothing and tried to make myself look at least semi-presentable. From my house, I drove my truck to Forks High School, leaving my beloved motorbike behind. Although, due to Jake's help, I was getting to be quite a decent driver, I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention from people at school by rolling up on a noisy bike.

Ring, damn it…

Last night with Jacob had been a blur. The moment when his lips brushed lightly against mine had brought an unexpected flurry of emotions to the surface. It was such a rush, feeling our mouths touch, even though it was barely enough to cause any sort of sensation. His lips weren't cold or hard, in fact, they were the complete opposite: soft and warm. It was a different feel, a good feel.

I couldn't believe that he, my buddy Jacob, was having this effect on me. I had been replaying the memory over and over again in my head all day, despite my best efforts to block it out. More than once, I found myself imagining what might have happened if I hadn't pushed him away at the crucial moment. I couldn't help but wonder what it really felt like to have his ample lips moving unwaveringly against mine.

Of course, technically, he and I had already had our 'first kiss' on that day when he forced himself onto me, but I don't really count that because, well, my mouth hadn't even been moving. He probably thinks I'm a lousy kisser because of that. My stomach gave a little lurch as the unsettling thought popped into my head. Maybe I'll prove him wrong, I thought wistfully and then caught myself before my mind wandered any further.

God, what was I thinking? He was Jake and I was Bella. We had always fit together as best friends. Best friends, and nothing more. But recently, as the nights grew cooler and the crisp autumn winds stirred vehemently around us, I relished the thought of holding my own personal space heater close, him keeping me warm in more ways than one. It was time for a change of seasons…

3…2…1…Yes!

The shrill bell sounded and I jumped enthusiastically out of my seat. I grabbed my already-packed school bag and walked quickly out the classroom door and into the hallway. My friends, Jessica, Angela, and Mike followed hurriedly as I made my way through the crowded halls and towards the main front exit. I could hear Jessica's high heels clicking relentlessly as she broke into a slight trot and finally managed to catch up.

"Whoa, Bella, what's the big rush for?" She always liked to be in the know about everything that was happening in people's lives.

"Oh, um, nothing much, just heading over to La Push to see Jake," I responded nonchalantly. A suddenly interested Mike Newton chimed in from behind,

"Jacob? Jacob Black? Isn't he like two years younger than us?" He got immense enjoyment out of bashing any other males that spent time with me.

"He's mature for his age," I said coolly. And his ripped body could put any man to shame, I thought to myself. Angela piped up behind me,

"So, are we ever going to meet this Jacob Black? I mean, all you've done for the past few months is spend time with him, but I don't think I've ever seen you two around town." The front door was in sight. I quickened my pace and half-turned to answer Angela,

"Yeah, he spends most of his time in La Push, but I'm sure you'll get a chance to see him eventually…" My voice trailed off as the unmistakable roar of a motorcycle revved in the distance. I pushed open the front door and stepped outside into the sunlight.

Jacob Black was waiting for me.

He was poised coolly atop his motorbike, sporting a pair of slightly ripped jeans (complete with motor oil smudges and grease marks) and a clean white T-shirt that clung to his chest in a way that accentuated his muscular body. Even wearing a helmet looked cool when Jake did it. Damn, my best friend is awesome.

Once he caught a glimpse of me, he revved the bike engine loudly, which drew a lot of stares as people wondered curiously what this unfamiliar boy was doing here. I gave him a quick wave and then turned to say goodbye to my friends. Both Jess and Angela's mouths hung open in awe as they gazed at him longingly. Even Mike looked impressed.

"Oh. My. God. Is that him? Bella, please tell me that's him!" Angela's voice jumped about three octaves.

"Yep," I replied, "that's my buddy, Jake." Jessica squealed with delight,

"Bella, you didn't tell us he was so sexy! Damn girl, you are lucky!" I laughed at their surprised reactions. I should have told them Jake and I were just friends, and not a couple or anything, but for some reason I decided against it.

As we had been talking, a large crowd of girls had gathered outside the school doors to check out the "hot motorcycle stud," a name I had overheard a nearby blond chick call him as she quickly reapplied her lipstick and pulled down the front of her shirt a little bit more than necessary. Ha, as if… I thought humorously.

"I'll see you guys later," I waved and started towards Jacob. As I walked, I could hear Mike babbling to Jessica and Angela in the background.

"I don't know what all the fuss is about. I mean, he might be six-feet tall and built, but he's really only like fourteen…"

I trotted happily over to where Jacob idled and he revved the engine noisily in greeting. He grabbed the spare helmet from the back and handed it to me.

"Hey Bells! Wanna go for a ride?" He flashed me that killer smile. I shot a grin back and pulled on the helmet. That blond chick was right, I thought, he did look damn good on that bike. I climbed onto the seat behind him and pulled my waist snugly into his. I inhaled deeply and my nostrils took in that all-too-familiar scent of pine needles and gasoline.

"Wait a second," I paused inquisitively, "what did you do with my bike?" He turned his head to the side so I could hear him over the purr of the motorcycle.

"No worries, I cut out of school early and dropped it off at my place. You ready?" He was such a cutie. I wrapped my arms snugly around his torso and gave a little squeeze.

"Awwoooo!" I howled goofily like a wolf and he kicked down hard in response. With a thunderous roar we sped off through the parking lot and away from the school, leaving its awestruck students in the dust.

***

Once we had reached La Push, Jake and I each grabbed our bikes and headed out to the back roads to practice riding. After kicking up the dust for a couple of hours we returned to the house, both covered from head to toe in dirt and sweat. I hopped quickly in and out of the shower and then threw on the same pair of blue boxer shorts and white T-shirt I had borrowed from Jake last night. I emerged from the bathroom and called to him,

"Bathroom's all yours now!" As I slowly made my way down the hall to his bedroom, he suddenly appeared at the other end and started walking towards the bathroom. As he approached me he pulled off his shirt, revealing his bulging chest muscles and the intricate Quileute tribe emblem tattooed on his right shoulder.

"Thanks Bells." He nodded to me appreciatively and then proceeded to undo the button and zipper on his jeans as we passed each other. He slipped into the bathroom (having already yanked off his pants to reveal a pair of black boxers), turned on the water, and swung the door partly closed.

While he showered I towel dried my hair as much as possible and rolled up the sleeves on my oversized T-shirt in an attempt to make it look a little more feminine. I glanced into the large mirror inside his bedroom. Life was so easy at Jake's house. I had left most of my things at home, so there was no make-up to apply, no hair dryer to use, no clothing to sort through. I smiled happily into the mirror and then turned towards the hallway with the intention of grabbing a snack from the kitchen when…

"Whoa, Bella!" Jacob had appeared very suddenly at his bedroom door and I had no time to react before I ran right smack-dab into him. He was very wet, and very naked.

"Oh, God, Jake! I'm sorry!" I quickly recoiled away from his soaking wet body and threw my hands up to cover my eyes. "I didn't see anything, I swear!" It was true, the collision had happened so quickly that I didn't have time to look, not that I was curious or anything… He laughed as he stepped back into the hallway.

"Sure, sure. Sorry about that, Bells," he said, "I forgot my towel in here." A sudden sly grin appeared on his face. "But it is nice to know that you camped out in my room for bit, just waiting to 'accidentally' catch a glimpse of me naked. Jeez, you have quite the dirty mind…" I laughed at his teasing remark and then blurted out,

"Shut up, Jake! You know it wasn't on purpose, you egotistical jerk." He laughed as I, with my eyes still covered, felt my way out of the room, down the hallway and towards the kitchen. Once there, I grabbed a snack and then plunked myself down on the comfortable living room sofa.

I won't lie, Jake's freshly-showered body was pretty darn sexy; dripping wet and smelling delicious. As my shock and embarrassment slowly subsided in the aftermath of the half-naked collision (me being the 'half' and him the 'naked'), I couldn't help but wonder just how much he had to offer. I mean, every other part of him was bigger than big, so the pattern must be true for his… Hmm, maybe it's good that I didn't see anything, I thought cheekily to myself. With his gorgeous physique and take-charge persona, the last thing I needed was another reason for submitting to temptation. Bad, Bella. Bad.

Jacob emerged from the hallway a couple of minutes later, fully clothed, but still sporting damp and drippy hair. He plunked himself down onto the sofa next to me, smiling the entire time. After a few seconds of silence he spoke up,

"Still thinking about me naked?" I rolled my eyes. Man, this guy had some ego…

"I told you already," I said definitively, "I didn't see anything, at all." He grinned as he folded his hands behind his head,

"That's too bad. You're really missing out." He glanced over at me smugly and I punched him playfully in the leg. A quick topic change was definitely in order.

"Aren't you going to grab something to eat?" I asked. "You must be starving after our long day." He grinned and responded in kind,

"Bella, I already ate an entire meal during the time it took you to shower! Jeez, I don't know how girls can spend so much time in there." He obviously knew very little about women.

"Um, do you realize how long it takes for us to shave? Yeah, about five times as long as it takes you. So no complaining." I looked at him suspiciously as he eyed my smoothly shaven legs, which were stretched across the couch. He placed one of his warm hands on the lower part of my right leg and started sliding it up and down. He raised an interested eyebrow and then looked up at me.

"Nice," he said, "very smooth. Very smooth, indeed." I flashed him a 'get-a-grip, buddy' sort of look and he responded with the cutest smile ever. "Want a massage?"

After my long afternoon of dirt biking, a foot rub sounded like a pretty tempting idea. So, in a move that was probably against my better judgement, I agreed. Oh, what the hell...

His large hands felt incredible as they massaged my skin. He started with my feet, slowly using his strong fingers to exert a slight pressure on my soles. He had only been handling them for a few moments, however, when I felt a small rush of heat flood through my body, down towards the area in between my legs. It felt good. Like a tingling warmth was spreading all over me. Oh God, I thought, how is he doing that?

I vaguely remembered Jessica showing me a magazine article once that pointed out all of the human body's erogenous zones and that an easy way to, well, get somebody going was to massage their feet. I wondered if Jake knew that.

As he continued to exert slight pressure and stimulate my skin with his warm hands, I closed my eyes and lay my head back onto the couch cushion. Bella, you are being very bad right now… I said to myself as I took in every single sensation that his skilful hands aroused. I was in a daze-like state and could only concentrate on the warmth that was now pulsating through my body, in places that had been ignored for far too long.

The warm tingling sensation increased slightly as Jacob slowly slid his hands upward, away from my feet, and onto the lower half of my legs. As his soft hands glided sensually up and down, I let out a slight moan, which was barely audible, even to me. Still, I wondered if he had caught my murmur with some sort of supersensitive wolfy hearing because before long, he was touching my lower thighs, letting his fingertips graze tantalizingly over my smooth skin.

I let my head roll back as far as possible when I felt his warm hands ascend even further up my legs. Pretty soon he was halfway up my thigh, his fingers situated just below the boxer shorts I was wearing. As he rubbed my sensitive skin, there was a slight rush of wetness between my legs, which felt incredible. I suddenly found myself craving for more touches, caresses, and kisses. This past year, I had gone on for far too long without feelings like this. It was finally nice to have them back.

Damn, I thought as another tiny surge of pleasure sent quivering sensations to my nether regions, what have I done to deserve this? I had no answer. Jacob was just a completely amazing guy. As I lied back enjoying his stimulating massage, I felt his thumbs running up and down along my inner-thigh, tempting me.

"Mmm…" I mumbled automatically as his fingertips teased my skin. I guess my moan of approval really spurred him onwards, because his hands suddenly and unexpectedly slid up even further, dipping underneath my shorts now and hovering just a few inches away from my most sensitive of pleasure points. The daring action immediately brought me back to reality.

"Jake! What the hell?" I cried out as my eyes snapped open and I impulsively slapped his hands away. His bold movement, no matter how pleasing, had caught me way off guard.

"What?" He countered back as a guilty-looking smile spread across his face.

I knew as soon as I had agreed to it that the massage might turn out to be a bad idea, but I had never expected it to go that far. I didn't think much of it when Jacob's hands had been rubbing scintillatingly along my sensitive skin, but now that he had his hands to himself I was able to think more clearly about what had just happened.

Was I risking my friendship with Jake? Did I mistakenly encourage him to go too far? Or had I, for the first time in my life, actually let my body react the way it was meant to when it was touched?

I mean, things had been good with Edward, but I always found I had to hold myself back; to deny my body of the feelings it craved because my own personal safety was at risk. But right now, I could feel that a small patch of warm dampness had formed between my legs and it absolutely boggled my mind to think that my best friend Jacob, the kid I used to make mud pies with, had caused it just with his hands alone. For a split second, before I got a hold on myself, a naughty thought flitted through my mind as I wondered what kind of sensations the rest of his body could potentially arouse in me. Get a grip, Bella.

As I glanced up at Jake, his expression was hesitant, but I could see hints of a subtle grin. He was obviously amused at my reaction, that his bold move had surprised me. I flashed him an accusatory glare, which I hoped would convey something to the effect of, 'Nice try, buddy, but that's never gonna happen.' He interpreted my scowl correctly and shrugged,

"Worth a shot…" He chuckled as I slapped him playfully on the arm in response. But before we could do any more thinking or talking about what had just happened, a sudden loud pounding on the front door alerted us to the fact that we had visitors.

"JAKE, buddy!" A boisterous voice boomed as the sound of multiple footsteps filled the hall and the door slammed loudly. Jacob looked at me apologetically.

"Ah, sorry, Bells. They kind of just pop-in whenever they feel like it. Here, lemme try to get rid of them." Finally, the thunderous noise reached the living room as Jake's werewolf buddies, Quil and Embry, strode in, each carrying a case of beer. Leah and Seth Clearwater, siblings and also part of the Quileute wolf pack, followed slightly behind them. Jacob stood up to meet them.

"Hey guys," he said as they all slapped hands, except for Leah, who just nodded at Jake as he continued on. "Um, I'm not sure now's the best time for, well, whatever you're planning on doing here. What's the occasion, anyway?"

"Dude, it's Friday night. Time to party!" Embry remarked as he set down the case of beer. Quil chimed in after him,

"Yeah, man, you've been dogging us way too much lately. You're never around anymore, dude!" He set the other case of beer down on the floor. Jacob stuffed his hands into his pockets and replied,

"Sorry guys, it's just that I've been a bit busy lately." Even though his back was turned, I could tell he was hinting at the guys with some sort of facial gesture because they suddenly all glanced over at me and grinned. How embarrassing.

"Hi Bella," Seth chimed in and smiled at me, "would you mind if we chilled here for a bit with you guys? Jake hasn't hung out with us for awhile."

Jacob turned to glance back at me, an apologetic look on his face. I was a bit bummed that my relaxing evening alone with my best friend had turned, literally, into a pack of wolves, but it was definitely true that I had been monopolizing him for these past few months. I just couldn't help it, though, he was just so much fun to be around. I gestured to the guys and a sour-looking Leah,

"Yeah, no problem! The more the merrier." Quil and Embry slapped hands again and then each cracked open a beer.

"Um, won't you guys get in trouble if Billy comes home and sees you drinking?" I looked inquisitively at Jake and then Seth responded,

"Naw, it's cool, Bella. Billy just left our place with Mom. I think they're driving out to La Push beach to meet up with some of our aunts and uncles, so they should be gone for awhile." Leah suddenly pushed her way through the guys and grabbed a beer for herself.

"Yeah," she said, "but we don't want to get little Bella into any trouble. Her daddy wouldn't be too pleased with us." I gave her a questioning glare, which she returned with a smirk. Um, what the hell was that all about?

I'm not going to lie, Leah wasn't my favourite person in the world. Apart from the stories Jake had told me about her (the constant whining, complaining, and foul mood swings), every time I hung around her she had this amazing ability of making me feel like I didn't belong there. Like I wasn't wanted. Plus, I got the feeling that she had a thing for Jacob and was jealous that he was spending so much time with me. I was lucky that the rest of the pack liked me though, because they usually helped shut Leah up if she was being particularly nasty.

"I dunno, Leah," said Quil with a glance in my direction, "I bet Bella can be a real bad ass when she wants to be…" He raised an eyebrow at Embry, who joined in,

"Yeah, haven't you seen her handle that motorbike lately?" He glanced at Jake and grinned. "I mean, before you know it, she'll be the one giving you the riding lessons, eh Jake?" He sniggered and nudged Quil.

"Okayyy!" Jacob, looking slightly awkward, quickly changed the subject. "Bella, can I pour you a drink? I'll even put it in a frosty mug and everything." Quil, Embry, and Seth chuckled softly to themselves while Leah rolled her eyes.

"Um, yeah sure, Jake." I really liked the guys, but I hated being the focal point of all their not-so-subtle, and usually sexual, jokes. Seth, who had collapsed beside me on the sofa, leaned over and quietly muttered,

"Don't mind them, Bella. Those guys are idiots." Seth, the youngest of them all, was my second favourite wolf-boy. My favourite one was now in the process of cracking open a cold one and pouring it into a frosted glass for me.

As he walked from the kitchen to the couch where I sat with Seth, he gave Embry a hard smack on the back of the head as he passed by. He handed me my drink and then took a seat on the floor. Leah all-too-eagerly joined him.

"So what should we do?" She asked openly. Jacob glanced over at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"Um, just hang-out? I thought that was the plan," he said flatly. Leah rolled her eyes,

"Yeah, but, wouldn't it be more fun if we all played a game or something?"

"What kind of game?" Embry asked, intrigued.

"'I Never'," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Isn't that the one where one person says something they've never done and then if you have done it then you take a drink?" Quil inquired.

"Yep, that's the one," she said. I couldn't be absolutely sure, but it always seemed like Leah had some sort of ulterior motive in mind for everything she did when Jacob was around.

"This sounds like it could get weird," said Seth uneasily.

"No, this sounds like the stupidest idea I've ever heard," Jake retorted. Leah looked around accusingly,

"Wow, who knew you guys were all such pussies?" As I looked across the room at her smug expression I felt a tiny surge of heat rising in my cheeks. I don't know what in hell's name inspired me to do it, but I so desperately wanted to wipe that stupid grin off her face.

"I'll play," I challenged. My eyes stared her down and she looked slightly intimidated for a split-second before her cocky smirk reappeared. Quil and Embry both looked at each other, grinning.

"Yo, if Bella's up for it then so are we," they agreed.

"Me too," Seth chimed in. Leah turned to Jacob.

"C'mon Jake," she said temptingly, "you know you want to." Her choice of words really annoyed me.

"Definitely not," said Jacob quickly and then threw me a quick wink, "but if Bells wants to play then… oh, what the hell, I'm in." Looking around to make sure everybody had a drink, Embry spoke up,

"Cool, I'll start. Okay, I've never… imagined Jake's older sisters naked." He drank from his own cup. Jake closed his eyes and let his head roll back towards the ceiling,

"Jeez, I knew this was going to be the stupidest idea ever," he groaned. "And that's not even the way you play the game, idiot. The point is to say something that you've actually never done so that you won't have to drink." Embry looked puzzled,

"But what if I want to drink?" Jacob sighed and then swore quietly. Seth, in attempt to get the game going again, interjected,

"Okay, I'll start it off, for real. I've never had a girlfriend." Seth glanced at me and then added, "Or boyfriend! Any relationship with another person, I mean." Everyone glanced around as myself, Leah, and Embry took a drink. Jacob, who kept his drink in hand, pointed accusingly at Embry and then called him out,

"Dude, you've never had a girlfriend!" Embry chimed back,

"Oh yeah? What about Samantha Whitfield?" Jacob looked confused and then started chuckling,

"Um, you mean from third grade?" He threw a humorous glance at Quil, who joined in as well,

"Yeah, I remember her. Wasn't she the one who threw a handful of rocks in your face?" Jacob started chuckling as Embry tried to defend himself,

"Well, yeah, but that was before she was into me. I dumped her after about a week though. You know, had to keep my options open." Jacob, with an incredulous smile on his face said,

"Dude, there's no way that counts. Ever." I laughed as Jake shook his head and rolled his eyes in disbelief. He added quickly,

"Okay, my turn. I never…ever…want to play this stupid game again." I giggled at how annoyed he was getting. Man, he's such a cutie, I thought wistfully. Leah chimed in, teasing him,

"God, Jake, don't be such a whiny little bitch."

"Wow, speak for yourself, Leah," he spat back. She shot him a menacing glare. Quil rolled his eyes,

"Okay, I'll go next," he said. "I've never lost a physical fight, to anyone." Seth quickly took a drink and Quil eyed him suspiciously.

"What?" He said. "Leah used to beat me up all the time when we were kids."

"Hell yeah, I did!" Leah smirked at him.

As they continued bantering on for a moment, as brothers and sisters often do, I noticed Jake smile coyly at me and then inconspicuously bring his drink to his lips and take a long swig. His suggestive gesture was definitely referring to our little wrestling match last night, the match he had technically lost when we had paused and almost, well, kissed. I had been wondering all day if he had just forgotten all about it, but it was clear from his slightly flirtatious signal that it was definitely still on his mind. I smiled back at him and raised an eyebrow at our little secret. All of a sudden, Embry interrupted,

"Yo, Jake, you just took a drink, man. Do you mean to tell me that you, one of the biggest guys in town, have actually lost a fight?" Jacob shrugged his shoulders and casually replied,

"Yeah, I lost one recently. But not by much." His eyes darted to meet mine again and his words became slightly more calculated. "Not to worry, though. We had a rematch the night after and this time I won easily. Things got so heated that they just couldn't hold out any longer. It was really intense."

His eyes sparkled flirtatiously as he watched my reaction. I felt a tiny rush of blood to my face as I took in the double meaning of his words. I hoped nobody would notice my all-of-a-sudden blushing. I was relieved when Seth spoke up,

"Cool man. Who was the guy you were fighting? Anybody we know?" Jacob smirked at me once again.

"Nope, none of the guys around here." He grinned. Leah, growing tired of all the testosterone talk, interjected,

"Okay, enough about wrestling, for God's sake. Who's next?" She fixated her piercing gaze on me. "Bella? Are you up for it?"

God, Bella, I pleaded with myself. Whatever you do, pick something that isn't embarrassing.

"Um," I wracked my brain as Leah's glare burned into me. "I never… transform into a large furry animal when I get angry." The wolf pack laughed at my joke as everyone in the room took a drink but me. As my eyes caught onto Leah, however, she looked annoyed rather than amused.

I had forgotten that Jacob once told me about how Leah wasn't exactly thrilled with her transformation into a werewolf. I vaguely recalled that it had something to do with being frozen in time and the fact that she was the only female in the pack. Even though Leah wasn't my favourite person in the world, I felt a little twinge of guilt that my comment had touched on something that was hurtful to her. My guilt didn't last long, however, as it was her turn to go next. She gazed mockingly at me,

"I've never seen a guy naked." She paused dramatically and then smirked. "Oh wait, never mind, I do everyday!" Quil and Embry exchanged looks and then grunted appreciatively. Apparently they liked the fact that Leah snuck more than just an innocent peek at their bodies during their transformations from human to wolf form.

Shit, I thought frantically to myself, I'll be the only one to drink this round. How embarrassing. Damn it, why hadn't I taken a quick look at Jacob after I ran into him in the hallway today? It would have saved me from this awkwardness, and it's not like he would have minded.

I didn't want to give Leah the satisfaction of humiliating me in front of everyone, so I said the first snarky thought that popped into my mind.

"Yeah," I chided, "I'm sure that constantly seeing your little brother's junk is a huge bonus for you…" The guys, including Seth, all burst out laughing as Leah's face turned from smug to absolute fury. Her attempt to embarass me had backfired. I kept a straight face even though I could almost feel her gaze burning a hole right through me. Wow, I thought, if looks could kill. My eyes stayed locked on Leah's amidst the guys' fading laughter and echoes of 'Nice!' and 'Good one, Bells.' Her face turned to stone as she spat out another 'I never',

"I've never kissed Jacob." She looked smugly at me for a moment and then slowly but deliberately raised her glass to her lips and took a good long swig. She's lying, I thought. I could tell. There's no way Jake would have agreed to that. He couldn't stand Leah. I shifted my gaze momentarily from her to Jake in order to confirm my suspicion, but he just squirmed uncomfortably and kept his eyes glued to the floor. I suddenly lost my train of thought. Wait, I thought in disbelief. Had he kissed her? The thought bothered me more than I had expected it to and the triumphant look in Leah's eyes didn't help matters at all.

"Mmm," she murmured dramatically as she swallowed her drink, "tasty." It seemed like her life goal was to make me feel like shit.

"Leah, c'mon…" Seth warned her. But I was through with playing nice. This chick is going down.

"I've never been despised by so many people I depend on," I said coldly. I could tell the words stung her for a moment, but then she looked at me with as much hatred as she could muster up to deliver the ultimate blow.

"I've never tried to jump off a cliff because my bloodsucking leech of a soul-mate stopped loving me," she sneered menacingly. "Drink up, Bella." The room went completely silent as her harsh words drained the blood from my face.

"Leah, get the hell out of here. Now." Jacob's voice was hard and cold. My eyes burned as I willed my gathering tears away, with no success. Leah looked timidly over at him,

"C'mon Jake, y-you know I was just goofing around…"

"I said, get the fuck out of my house." I gazed at Jacob through my blurry and tear-filled eyes. He was staring intently at the floor, so furious that his whole body was shaking. Leah looked around frantically at the others.

"Guys, you can't be serious, I w--"

"GET OUT!" Jake roared in a way that made even more tears silently stream down my face. I turned my head in an attempt to hide my devastation. Leah, looking paled and stupefied, stood up and marched quickly out of the room.

"Un-fucking-believable…" she uttered as the front door of the house slammed loudly behind her. The rest of the guys exchanged awkward looks.

"Uhh, Jake, I guess we'll see you later, buddy…" Quil and Embry both stood up to leave, followed shortly by Seth. Before he left, though, he put a gentle hand on my shoulder and softly apologized,

"Sorry, Bella. My sister's a bitch sometimes and what she said was way out of line. She of all people should know better than to joke about something as hurtful as that." As Seth made his way out the front door, the house became utterly quiet. Silent tears spilled out of my overwhelmed eyes and I tried my best to wipe them away with my hand.

Jacob, his body still shaking but with less intensity, got up slowly and then settled into a spot on the couch by my side. He wrapped his big arms around me and gave me the best hug I'd had in a long time. It felt so loving, so caring, that my body overflowed with emotion and I started to whimper a bit along with my tears. Jacob pulled me in closer.

"Aw, honey, don't cry…" He effortlessly scooped me up into his lap and cradled me in his arms. He kissed my forehead gently and then laid his cheek against mine. "Don't listen to any of the crap she says. She's just a bitter person deep-down. You, on the other hand, are beautiful, loving, and wonderful in every way."

Jacob's warm presence had already slowed my tears and pulled me back together again. I took his complimentary words to heart, but I had other ones in mind at the moment.

"I can't stand that bitch..." I turned my head upwards and looked cautiously into Jacob's eyes. He caught my subtle grin and then we both burst out laughing together. He hugged me even tighter as he shook with laughter and grinned,

"That's my girl."

***

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