I like to think of this as my celebration chapter. I just got done with midterms! Yay!
Please, please review, even if you don't like it. It would make my day.
Jacob POV (cont'd)
She was still there, laying on her bed, looking tempting. The monster in me was telling me to suck it up, act like a man and just jump her. The gentleman in me, yes there is one, was telling me to stop staring and just accept the fact that she isn't mine to jump. No matter how much I wanted it. And that was a whole lot.
She hadn't answered my question yet and I was getting impatient. Her eyebrows were furrowed down into a little crease as she stared at the ceiling, tracing patterns with her eyes. Her long hair was spread around on her pillow, framing her face. There were spots on her shirt from the water that dripped out of her hair. If that shirt had been white, the monster would have won an the gentleman would be nothing but a figment of my imagination.
"Alright. I'll just… leave." I pushed myself from the chair and stood. She shot up from her position and stared at me, wide eyed. She paused for a minute and listened to something, probably to hear if her mother was awake. She wasn't. Her breathing was even and the TV was turned off. I wasn't about to tell her that though. Normal ears wouldn't have heard it.
"You can't just walk downstairs. My mom's a light sleeper. I already told you that." She launched herself from her bed and over to the window, peeking outside. "There's no way you could make it down those steps without her hearing." It took a whole hell of a lot of willpower to not stare at her ass.
I was kind of proud of myself.
"Ok, how do you suppose I leave then?" I walked closer to her, whispering. She flinched away from me as I gained on her. I don't get it. She peered back out the window, pushing the curtains aside and then opening it. Her gaze went back to me and she pointed towards the open window with her jaw.
"Are you serious? You want me to jump out the fucking window?" I whispered harshly to her. It's not that I've never jumped out of a window before. No, I've done so many times you'd be surprised. It's just that when I jumped, it would make a whole hell of a lot more noise then it would if I just left through the door.
She nodded her head, making her hair flow around her shoulders. She smiled shyly and sucked on her bottom lip. Oh yeah. That wasn't tempting at all. "If you don't mind."
"I'm not jumping out of your window." I chuckled low enough so that she wouldn't hear and walked over to her bed and plopped down onto it; my arms crossed behind my head. I crossed my feet and smiled over at her. "Sleepover!"
"No, seriously. You have to leave. I have school tomorrow and I'm sure my Mom is bound to check on me. Oh and there's the little fact that uh… I hardly know you." She stood in what she probably thought was a dominate pose but she just looked like a stubborn five year old. I'd seen Claire use that with Quil before. And it worked.
"I have school too. Which means, I really need my rest. And, jeez, I'm so tired. I don't think I'm stable enough to drive all the way back to the rez." A yawned to make a point. It was extremely fake. I'd gotten all the sleep I needed yesterday and I hadn't really done any wolf stuff today, except for screwing up Seth.
"Go sleep in your car then." She used her foot to try and push my feet off her bed but they wouldn't budge obviously. She did have an unusual amount of strength for a girl her size though.
"I'd freeze to death. Do you want my dead body in a car in front of your house?" I lied. I wouldn't freeze. I'd be quite comfortable temperature wise.
"No you wouldn't. You're walking fire." She mumbled under her breath, not wanting me to hear. So, she'd noticed how unusually hot I was. I thought back to the one time she'd ever touched me. When she ran away after the contact with my skin. There was something there. "Come on, Jacob. You really can't stay here."
"How about I sleep on the floor? That way you get your bed and I don't have to drive all the way home at this time of night." I liked my best. It wasn't that late. I saw her contemplating things in her head. "I'll be gone before your mom even wakes up tomorrow." Which would be true even though I was going to skip school tomorrow. Everyone would just assume it's a wolf thing. I'd be seriously lying if I said we never used that to our advantage.
Her eyes rolled and she sighed. I really hoped that meant she was going to say yes. This is one of those times I wish I had the bloodsucker's ability to read minds. He had it easy.
"I swear if my mother finds you and I get in trouble for it…" She trailed off, not knowing which threat to use. That was all I needed though. A yes. I grinned at her and removed myself from her bed. She climbed into the spot that I'd just been in and grimaced.
"Nice, now it's too warm" She grumbled and laid down on top of the covers. Why the hell did she like the cold so much? It hardly made sense. She turned her head towards where I sat on the floor next to the bed. "You gonna just sit there? Do you sleep sitting up?" I shrugged and she rolled her eyes at me.
"I'll lie down when I'm ready. Or when my lovely host gives me something to… oh, I don't know… sleep on." I tugged at the pillow her head was on to give her an indication of what I wanted. I was merely fooling around though. I could care less if I slept on a bed of nails. I just wanted to keep talking to her.
Of course she flinched away from my hand being too close to her, but I was getting more familiar with her jerking away from my touch. She reached an arm over to the other side of the bed and grabbed a pillow, practically slamming it into my face. She grinned evilly. I kind of… liked it.
I took it from her and placed it on the ground. I glanced back over at her and saw that she'd taken her eyes off of me, much to my disappointment, and was staring at the ceiling again. I shook my head in amusement and then laid down myself, staring up at the ceiling with her. I found millions of questions of what I wanted to know about her floating around in my head.
She sighed and the clapped her hands, shutting off the lights. Nice.
A few minutes rolled by. Actually 14 minutes and 32 seconds. I know. I counted. I was getting restless and bored. "You sleeping?" I asked just loud enough for her to hear. She sighed before she answered.
"Yes." I suppressed a snort. Damn sarcasm.
"Sleep talker." She groaned and rolled over on her side to look down at me. Her hair fell over the side of the bed and tickled my hand. She was close enough now to get a really good whiff of her. Her scent was amazing. Far away it was enough to lure you in, but this close, she was hard to resist. I forced myself to not lurch up and grab her and kiss her hard on the mouth. And a few other things… I really have to stop thinking these things. But it was getting harder and harder. Literally and figuratively. If you get what I mean.
"What, Jake?" She called me Jake. That has never sounded better coming out of anyone's mouth. I no longer wanted anyone else to call me Jake. Just her. To everyone else it was Jacob and I planned on correcting everyone until that got that.
"I'm bored." That was stupid. 'I'm bored'? I couldn't think of anything better then that? I fucking fail at life. She scoffed and rolled onto her back again. I saw her lift her arms and clap on the lights again, then she rolled back over to look at me. "Then sleep."
"I can't. I have a question though." I looked up at her to see if she was listening to me. She was. "How do you know I'm not like… a serial killer?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked at me.
"How do you know I'm not?" And with that she rolled back over and clapped the lights off once again. "You can't just say that and then clap the lights off." I clapped my hands to turn them back on, then sat up so that we were eye level. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I think we have a little bit to learn about each other before I can feel comfortable sleeping." I made a point of sounding like a little kid, but inside I was all post pubescent hormones. Her face was a few inches from mine. Her bright blue eyes were fixed on mine and I'll be damned if I don't imprint before the night is over.
"What do you want to know?" Her slightly cold breath tickled my face. It smelled spicy and flowery at the same time. I wanted to touch her translucent skin, but it would scare her. She didn't like my skin to be close to hers but she didn't seem to mind my face being only a few inches from hers.
"The basics." I shrugged my shoulders and waited for her to reply. She shut her eyes and I desperately tried not to take advantage of that situation. It would be so easy to just kiss her senseless right now. Her lids flashed open a few moments after and she started.
"Ok. I lived in Delaware my whole life up until last Friday. I'll be 16 August 28th and I'm a sophomore. I'm a vegetarian. Have been for five years. I'm allergic to cats. I hate the smell of Christmas trees. And gasoline. I don't have a favorite band. I like to many to decide. I cuss too much when I'm angry. In second grade I was expelled from my elementary school for kicking a kid in the balls. I'm a writer and an artist. I like photography. And I really like it here. It's absolutely freezing." She sucked in a huge gust of air and squeezed her eyes shut. I was expecting something more along the lines of, 'I'm Via and I'm 15. My favorite color is…My favorite food is… My astrological sign is…' But I wasn't complaining. The girl was deep. She kicked a 7 year old boy in the balls. She's got some to be able to do that.
"Your turn."
"You won't kick me in the balls if I say something you don't like, right?" That earned me a withering stare. "I kid. Let's see… You already know my name so… I'll be 17 in less then a month. I'm a sophomore at the school on the reservation. Oh, I'm part of the Quileute tribe. I like food. A lot. I like engineering. Unlike you, I cuss a lot even when I'm not mad. I've lived here my entire life. My mom died when I was younger. I have two sisters. I run a lot. And… I'm all out."
I rested my hand on the side of her bed, just an inch away from her stomach. She glanced down at it quickly but didn't move or say anything. Progress! I was tempted to test it and move it slightly so that it would look like it had accidentally brushed against her, but I didn't. It was too soon to try that.
Her mouth opened up into a little yawn and her breath washed over my face for the second time. It smelled just as good as the first time. I forced myself to lay back down on the floor, like the dog I am. "Go to sleep. You're tired." I clapped my hands and the lights flicked off. Moments later I heard her even breathing. 20 minutes later; I was gone.
Via POV
I woke up to the screaming of my alarm clock from across the room. Digging my face further into the pillow, I tossed a stuffed animal at the clock. No doubt I missed because the alarm kept on ringing in it's annoying, high pitched, scream. Finally I forced myself out of the bed and…froze. I crawled back over the mountain of green fabric and peeked over the edge.
He was gone.
Just like he said he'd be.
The only reminder that he'd even been here at all was the pillow I'd given him with a little note attached on it. I reached over the side of the bed and pulled to note to me, groaning as the side of the mattress pushed into my stomach.
"Via! Breakfast! Hurry up!" Bridget called to me from the kitchen. I set the note on my desk and headed for the stairs. It could wait to be read.
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Via POV (cont'd)
My first week of school was not exactly as fun as I would have liked. Being a sophomore in almost all advanced classes, you were expected a lot from. The teachers had packed me with hours of homework each night that Bella was more then happy to help me with. With her help we finished what should have been about 5 hours of homework in about an hour and a half.
The only really entertaining thing about school was lunch time with Bella and the Cullens. Alice was practically a walking energy drink and Edward was enough of a gentleman to make up for the rest of the testosterone in the room. An added bonus was when that Mike Newton tried to ask me out in front of Alice when she was opening her locker and she 'accidentally' slammed the locker door in his face when it swung open. To say the least, I don't expect him to be talking to me again.
By the time Friday was over I was exhausted. Bella offered to come over and start with the homework I hadn't finished yet but I told her she deserved a break. Besides, I had all weekend. She asked again just to be polite but I could tell she was thankful that I told her to take the weekend off from helping a lowly sophomore. I knew she hadn't spent as much time with Edward as she would have liked in the past week, and what can I say? I'm one for romance.
Once I exited the cab of Bella's truck, I rushed into the house and up the stairs to my room. I planned on taking the longest nap ever.
I entered my room, swinging the door shut behind me. I shrugged my bag off of my shoulder and swung it up onto the desk, leaving it there while I changed.
As I changed my mind was wandering all over the place. The week had been fairly long and I was more tired then I'd ever been in my life, but my thoughts went on for miles. There was still a massive amount of work I had to make up. I had a project in English due; which reminded me to ask Edward what it was about, since I'd forgotten the concept of it. Thank God he was in my class and never minded telling me what I missed or didn't get.
Then I thought about how I hadn't taken any photos in a week. The last one being the beautiful green flowers at the park. Then my mind wondered to my old home, Delaware. What were my friends doing? Why had none of them contacted me since I moved? Then I felt myself getting angry. So much for best friends forever.
I barely noticed that I'd gotten done dressing as my thoughts continued to swoosh around my head. I let out a groan of frustration and went to my bag to grab my phone, which I hadn't had much use for since I moved because of all the packing and homework I've been doing. I pulled the bag off the desk and noticed a paper the fluttered to the ground.
I picked it up and set it back on the desk but it caught my attention again when I noticed my name written on one side in a messy scrawl. Then, for the first time since I got home my head went completely blank, then it was filled again. With one thought. One person.
I flipped the piece of paper open and read the contents.
Nice sleepover, huh? First time you've ever had a guy spend the night? Bet you're glad it was me. Am I right?
I rolled my eyes at the cockiness that even his writing had, but a small smile tugged at my lips. He was right about one thing. That was the first time a guy that wasn't related to me in any way, had spent the night.
But seriously, thanks for letting me stay. And I'll tell you this; I liked getting to know you better but, I want to know more. Soon.
I'll see you around, Via.
- Jake
P.S. Your mom never found me, so there's no need to kick me in the balls, k?
I found myself chuckling quietly at the last part. He was never going to let that go. I probably shouldn't have told him anything about it. I probably shouldn't have told him anything. I folded the piece of paper exactly the way it had been before I had opened it. It fell into it's comfortable position easily. Like the missing piece of a puzzle.
Shock, surprise, guilt, confusion and then more guilt and confusion flooded my mind. I wanted to see Jacob Black again. There was a feeling in my brain that was shouting at the top of its lungs for me to find a way to see him again. But Logic, who was inevitably stronger then Feeling seemed to tower above him and push him out of the way. I couldn't become friends or anything of the sort with Jacob. He was fire and I was ice. Polar opposites. He was, apparently, punishment for some type of ungodly sin I had made. What else would be the reason for his hand to burn me and bring back the painful memories of my father's death?
I collapsed into the desk chair that he had sat in just a few days ago. I swear I could feel some of the heat radiating off of the wood. Being around Jacob Black would be like stepping on a frozen lake, only to find out that what looked like a huge layer of ice; was only a thin sheet.
Hell, I hadn't even seen the guy since that night. Maybe he was bluffing in the letter and he wouldn't bother me any longer. Good. Then everything could go back to normal. No more bad memories.
I peeled myself off of the chair and made my way, slowly, over to my bed. Collapsing on it, I realized nothing felt better then the feeling of curling up on the slightly cold bed sheets and falling asleep. Nothing at all.
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Jacob POV
Sam had me on double shifts for the rest of the week. He definitely knew something was wrong, but made sure not to think about it in wolf form. He deliberately changed his thoughts to things like Emily's scars or what he was going to eat at dinner that night. Stupid, pointless, random things. That wasn't like Sam at all. And it definitely wasn't the way for an Alpha to be behaving.
I was exhausted by the time I got home at 11 pm Friday. Embry had taken over my shift for me so I could get rest. I didn't feel like resting though. I wanted to see her so badly. It's been only four days and I was getting restless, or even more so.
I hadn't planned on leaving at the time that I did. I actually planned on getting some sleep in, but about 20 minutes after she fell asleep, I'd heard a howl from the woods and knew I had to check on it. Not wanting to leave without a goodbye, I'd taken a pen and paper from her desk and wrote as fast as I could, conveying the message that I wanted to see her again. Then I left, hoping she would read it when she woke up and would feel the same way.
Dad was sitting in the middle of the room watching a baseball game, or that's what it looked like from behind. He was probably listening for me, seeing as he turned around the second the door slammed shut.
"Jacob, I wasn't expecting you home this soon. Did Sam give your shifts to someone else?" He wheeled himself towards me as I lowered myself into the small, pleather couch. I groaned and shook my head no, striking up his curiosity.
"Embry took it for me." "Well…good. You need your rest kid. You haven't been to school all week." Yeah, play the father card Billy. I rolled my eyes at him. Like I'd been to school all that much in the past year. The teachers didn't care all that much. As long as we made up most of the work, we were good. We sat there, in the living room, for awhile in complete silence. Then Billy wheeled himself around and said his goodnights.
"Wait, Dad?" I called from my spot on the couch. He swiveled around and rolled closer. He must have massive muscles under that jacket he always wears. He could turn that wheelchair faster then anyone I'd ever seen using one. "I need…I want…Could you…Hell with it. I need some advice."
"Go on."
"How do you know when you imprint? I mean, I know from what Quil and Sam have told me but… How do you know for sure?"
His eyebrows raised almost into his hairline, "Do you think you've imprinted?" I shrugged. "Well Jake… You know I don't have any experience with this stuff. Do you feel the need to be around her all the time?"
Did I feel like I needed to be around her 24/7? I thought about my restlessness from having not seen her for a few days but I wasn't exactly forcing myself to stay away. It wasn't hard at all to stay away. But I desperately wanted to see her a whole lot.
I shrugged.
"I don't know. But…never mind Dad. False alarm. I'm going to sleep." I pushed myself off the couch and stumbled in my sleep deprivation to my room, crashing on the too small bed.
Hell, it's a fucking weekend. I'll be damned if I don't see or talk to her for another week. I don't think I could actually handle that. The stuff I'd heard about imprinting had nothing on this feeling. Imprinting makes you feel like you can't stay away; kind of makes it seem like it's forcing you to be with the imprintee. This feeling was… different. I could stay away on my own free will. But I didn't fucking want to.
A split second was all it took for me to get out the door. Billy was used to having me come and go so late, so he said absolutely nothing when I ran out of the house. He'd probably question what happened tomorrow, but I didn't care. I'd lie.
Making sure no one was around, I ran behind a tree, stripped down and phased. I picked the clothes up in my mouth and ran through the woods as fast as my legs would go. I got there about 5 minutes later. I phased back and quickly dressed before looking for the window she had wanted me to jump out four days ago. I found it on the left side of the house. Using my great house scaling techniques I skillfully climbed to the window without a problem. Fortunately, the roof was right under the window, giving me something to stand on.
Her curtains were open revealing her room, the lamp still on. I scanned around looking for her and found her form laying on top of her covers, shivering. I didn't like that at all. I pulled the window up as quietly as I could, making only one noise in the process, then proceeded to climb through it. Fucking creep.
I tiptoed towards her, and the closer I got, the more worry and anger consumed me. Her lips were a shocking shade of purple and her body was shaking violently at the shivers that ran through her. She needs to wear more clothes and sleep under a fucking blanket for Christ's sake. I know she said she likes the cold but this is fucking extreme.
I kneeled down besides her bed and looked at her sleeping face. Her teeth may have been chattering and her lips that ungodly shade of purple but she was beautiful. More beautiful then any fifteen year old girl should be. I sat there just staring at her before I couldn't take the chattering anymore.
I knew I shouldn't have, but I did. I reached my hand out and gently touched her face with my fingertips, loving the cold on my hand as I did. It felt just like that first time I'd shaken her hand. Her shaking noticeably decreased and her chattering was stopping. All from just the slight warmth from the tips of my fingers.
I carefully lowered the rest of my fingers on her cheek and watched as she relaxed more. Her body shifted but she kept her face where it was, obviously needing the heat. I took a chance by placing my whole hand on her face, my thumb under her jaw. She moved again, her face this time. I kept completely still, not wanting her to wake up. She didn't. Instead she snuggled her face into my palm and sighed. Yupp, that did wonders for the lower half of me. If I hadn't been looking at the Goosebumps on her arms I wouldn't have noticed how she brought her arm up, extremely slowly, and held onto my wrist with her hand. Her skin was as pale as the sheets on the pillow compared to me. Her hand was freezing cold, while mine was unreasonably hot. Opposites in ever fucking way but I didn't care. From that point on I was convinced she was the one made for me, and not because fucking imprinting told me that she was. I knew it. My body sure as hell knew it. And I wanted it to be true. And I was going to do my best to make it that way.