A/N: Sorry for taking so long to get this out. I'm hoping RL will slow down soon. Now would be great.

On that note- I hope everyone had a great Mother's day! Mine was fairly relaxing and drama free (and that's an accomplishment with two little girls).

A big thank you to my pre-readers, wordslinger and live_true. Love you ladies!

Even more thanks to my fabulously amazing (not to mentions sexy ;]) beta, jkane180. Thanks for helping me out with this =]

Anyway, hope you enjoy! =]

"No. Absolutely not." Quil was looking at Jacob as if he'd grown a second head for even suggesting he help him get a date with Bella.

"Come on, man, you and Claire are my only way in. You owe me, for more than a couple things actually. Just help me out. Please!" Jacob was basically begging. He knew that he had no other way to see her unless he happened to run into her in public, which didn't seem to be the way to get her to go out with him anyway.

"Jake, even if I said yes, there's no way in hell Claire would go for it. She'd probably cut my balls off for even considering it."

"Aww, baby, be serious. I want to have babies someday. I wouldn't cut them off." Obviously Claire had overheard the conversation, rolling her eyes and flipping her hair as she sauntered into the shop. She leaned down to kiss Quil on the cheek before standing and looking quizzically at Jake.

"Still got your boxers in a bunch over Bella, eh, Black?"

Jake could tell by the look in her eyes that she was definitely humored by the situation. What he wasn't sure of was whether or not that was a good thing. He was really hoping she wouldn't think it was necessary to torture him further.

"Come on, Claire. Please! Help a guy out. I just need some way to see her, spend some time with her. She's making it a game. You two are the only way I have any chance in hell at winning. Even with you, the odds aren't good. But hell, a guy can hope, right?"

Claire was a sweet girl and had known Jake for a couple years. He'd always liked her, so hopefully she trusted him and would help him out, even just a little.

Claire appeared to be thinking it over. She covered her face with her hands and rubbed her temples. When she raised her head and looked a Jacob again, she had a small smile on her lips.

"All right, here's the deal. We're all going to a movie tomorrow night. It's just supposed to be me, Bella, and Quil. But Quil is meeting us after work, so if you just so happen to come with him, then so be it. If she asks, I had nothing to do with it. Got it? And for Christ's sake, Jacob, try not to be a complete dumbass. If you fuck this up, chances are you won'tget another opportunity."

Jake could tell Claire meant business. But despite the warning she'd given him, he was still overwhelmed with excitement. Before she could protest, he closed the distance between them and hugged her, mumbling, "Thank you. Thank you," repeatedly.

As Jake got into Quil's car, riding with him to go and meet the girls, he suddenly felt very nervous, as if a swarm of butterflies had taken up residence his stomach. He couldn't get past the "what ifs" flying through his head. What if she flipped out when she saw him there? What if she left because he was there? What if she decided to stay but then decided he wasn't worth giving a chance? What if she hated him?

This state of mind was new to Jacob. He couldn't remember ever being nervous to see a girl-not once. He always oozed confidence. And up until this moment, he'd felt very confident about seeing Bella.

When Jake woke up that morning, he laid out a pair of his nicest jeans, a nice, short sleeved white button down, and a pair of white sneakers. He didn't have many clothes that weren't stained in one way or another, but he tried to make sure he did have at least one pair of decent jeans and a couple shirts.

His plan was to leave work a half hour early and come home to shower and change. On his way into work, he stopped at an ATM to get some cash, so he could at least try and pay for her ticket or buy her something to eat or drink. He was really hoping she'd let him do that for her.

Quil pulled the car into the closest parking spot he could find in the busy theater parking lot, and as soon as the car was in park, Jake opened the door to get out. He needed to be up and moving; his nerves had caused him to bounce his leg the entire ride.

"Jake, breathe." Obviously Quil had noticed his friend's nerves kicking into play. Jake stopped for a second to take a deep breath and tried his very best not to start to sweat. He really didn't want to fuck this up.

Bella and Claire were standing, arms linked, as usual, outside of the ticket booth. They had only been waiting about five minutes, knowing the Quil would be there soon.

Bella was people-watching, something she found very entertaining. Over to her left, there was a father whose right pointer finger had been captured by a little blonde girl, his daughter, she assumed. The little girl was pulling as hard as she could on her father's finger, trying to get to the movie as quickly as possible. She could tell the little girl was thrilled to be there just by the bright smile she wore on her face.

To her right, a young couple was holding hands and kissing intimately on a bench by the concession stand. Every few minutes, they'd come up for air, and the boy would whisper sweet nothings in her ear, causing the girl to smile and giggle. Bella quickly turned away from that display, feeling a tiny of jealousy.

Bella didn't get out much. She was much to busy to do trivial things like see a movie, hang out with friends, or even have a boyfriend. She and her parents had a plan in place for her future. There was a lot that needed to be done on her part to keep that plan afloat.

As she was observing the people around her, she saw Quil coming out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to get a better look and be sure it was him, and it was. But then she noticed he wasn't alone.

Bella quickly seized Claire's arm and turned to her with accusing eyes.

"Claire, what is hedoing here?" Bella spoke through clenched teeth to try and keep her voice down. She could already feel her heart racing, and he was still halfway across the parking lot.

"I don't know, Bella. But, look, it's not a big deal. Let's just have a nice time." Claire spoke sweetly and calmly to try and make Bella see that things weren't as bad as she thought. Bella saw straight through her.

"You planned this." It wasn't a question.

"No-"

"Don't you dare lie to me, Claire Young. I know you three had this planned. Why would you do that to me?"

"Look, Bella, he just wants a chance to get to know you. He's a nice guy. Just give him a chance. Besides, it's not like I set you up and you have to be alone with the guy. We're all going to be here. No pressure."

She wasn't happy, but she decided Claire was right. This didn't have to be a big deal. She never had to be alone with him, and it wasn't an actual date. If Bella decided she didn't want to see him again after tonight, she wouldn't have to. And despite the fact that she wasnt happy about being set up, she found herself feeling a little excited to see him. No one else needed to know that, though.

Jacob saw the exchange between Claire and Bella, and that did nothing to help him feel more at ease. Bella clearly wasn't happy to see him. For a second, he even considered leaving, but then he remembered that Quil had brought him. He'd have to stick it out. He just hoped things would go more smoothly once they were in the theater.

As soon as they reached the girls, Quil went straight for Claire. He said a quick, "Hey, Bella," before landing a sweet kiss right on his girlfriend's lips.

Jacob stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. He did manage a nod in the girls' direction followed by a, "Claire, Bella."

"Funny seeing you here, Jacob." Bella's voice dripped with sarcasm. She was not at all pleased with this stunt Jake and her so-called friends were pulling. She couldn't help but to glare at all three of them.

"Yeah, who'da thunk it? A public movie theater on a Friday night. Who does that?" It slipped from his lips before he had a chance to think. Sarcasm was a second language for him, and he was used to throwing it right back at whoever dealt it. He really needed to learn to think before speaking. Making sarcastic comments was only going to piss Bella off further.

Quil did his best to suppress a chuckle.

"You're totally right, Jacob. This is a public theater. But you and I both know you're just a sneaky little-"

"Alrighty then. Can we actually go and pick the movie now, children?" Claire quickly cut Bella off to prevent the situation from escalating before they even made it inside.

The group made their way over to the ticket booth to look at the selection of movies above. There was a list of about ten different films to choose from, ranging through horror, action, drama, romantic comedies, and of course, a couple of animated kids' films.

"Dude, Jake, did you see the preview for Day of Death? It looks bad ass!"

Jake rolled his eyes. Of course his friend would pick the movie with the title written in blood on the poster. Jake wouldn't mind seeing it, but he knew very well the girls wouldn't.

"I am notseeing that. You have truly lost your mind if you think we're seeing that sad excuse for a movie. It's all blood, guts, and gore. Forget it, Quil." Claire was trying not to raise her voice, but Jake thought he was starting to see steam coming out of her ears. Jake just stood back to watch the pot boil over. Quil and Claire argued over the most trivial things, but according to Quil, they really enjoyed making up.

"We always see these stupid fucking girly movies! I want to see something I like for once!"

"For once? For once! Quil we alwayssee what you want!" As they continued to argue, Jake chanced a glance in Bella's direction. He couldn't help but chuckle at what he saw. She stood a few feet back from the fighting couple with her hands covering her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of what was happening in front of her.

Bella had seen Claire and Quil fight on more than a handful of occasions. The reasons always seemed stupid to her, but they never lasted long, and the two seemed happy enough. But the display the two were putting on that evening was just too much. Arguing over a movie choice, loudly, in public - she couldn't help but laugh.

When she looked over to Jake, he made her want to laugh more. He was standing awkwardly behind them, looking lost. Then she noticed him look up at her and head in her direction. The laughter suddenly died in her throat.

"Can you believe these two?" Jacob pointed at Claire and Quil with his thumb, rolling his eyes.

"They're alwayslike this. I'm kind of used to it." Bella tried her best to keep the edge in her voice; she was still upset with him for being so sneaky. She was having trouble staying mad though. There was just something about him... well, that, and she could still hear her friends ridiculous argument. She was pretty sure Quil just said something about "meat lover's pizza."

"Yeah, same here. Just usually not so loudly in public. People are staring." He laughed lightly before continuing.

"So, what do you want to see?"

Bella looked up at Jake, making sure he was serious. She was honestly surprised that he cared.

"Um, I don't really know. I haven't seen a movie in a really long time."

"Well, obviously those two aren't going to pick something. The responsibility falls on our shoulders; otherwise, we'll be standing out here all night. What looks interesting to you?" Jake turned his gaze away from her and onto the billboard with movies.

"Well, I liked her in that princess movie. How about that one?" When Jacob turned back to her, she gave him a sheepish smile, expecting him to refuse.

"Yeah, okay, I think I could deal with two hours of Anne Hathaway."

Bella's jaw dropped; she was shocked that he'd just agreed to a movie that she was sure would be very much a chick flick.

"Hey, you two, if you're finished, we picked a movie. We're going to see the one with Anne Hathaway. Bella's choice." Jake started towards the ticket booth, and Quil quickly jumped in front of him.

"Dude, a chick-flick? You were supposed to be on my side. What happened to 'bros before-'"

Jacob quickly cut him off. He wanted to put an end to the whining as soon as possible.

"Quil, shut up. It's one movie. We'll live. Besides, I heard it was funny. Now buy your damn tickets."

After Quil bought his and Claire's tickets, Bella was next in line. As she started pulling her wallet out of her purse, Jake interrupted.

"Don't worry about it. I've got it." He didn't even chance a glance in her direction, not wanting to give her an opportunity to argue. After he got the tickets, he handed Bella hers, and they headed towards the door with the title of the movie they were seeing above it.

"You didn't have to do that, Jake. This isn't a date." She spoke softly, but he could still hear her.

"I know, but I wanted to. Consider it an apology for acting like an ass at the beach."

As Bella felt the smile grow on her face, she ducked her head to try to hide it from Jacob. As they were walking through the heavy door into the darkness of the theater, she thought to herself, Maybe this won't be so bad...