{Author's Note: Attempt number two, seems the uploaded version of this chapter was missing a few things, so I had to edit and reupload. Thank you all so much for reading, I've had over one hundred visits and sixty visitors since I posted this story 24 hours ago. That means -so- much, but I wish anyone reading would shoot me a review. Anything at all - just let me know what you think thus far. Another huge shout out to my betas Jenni and Ashley who I seriously would be lost without, my amazing Muse Tj, and my best friend Samantha, for being supportive despite her dislike of the fandom. Again, no copy right infringement intended, I do not own anything, etc etc.}
My anticipation was building as we pulled into the Blacks' dirt driveway. Jacob and I had played together all the time when I was younger, we were inseparable. All of the memories I had of my time here in Forks, up until that particular summer, were great. We'd spend all day long at the shoreline of First Beach, building sand castles and chasing each other through the shallow parts of the water. It dawned on me as Charlie and I exited the cruiser, that when getting ready for my move, I never gave much thought to Billy or Jacob and his sisters. I think I was afraid of thinking too much about it and not knowing what to expect when I saw them again.
When I'd said goodbye to the family before heading back to Phoenix for good, I was pretty torn up. I'd watched the grief eat away at Billy and Jacob for two months before I called my mother, begging her to send me back home early. Death was not something I'd had to deal with until that summer, and it impacted my naive twelve year old mind in a really negative way. It wasn't so much losing Mrs. Black as it was watching the people that I'd grown to love as a second family, drown in their own sorrow.
I followed behind Charlie as he walked toward the porch, when the door burst open and Billy came rolling down the wooden ramp to meet us. "Welcome home, Bella." He said to me with a sincere smile forming across his lips. I returned it, brushing a strand of loose hair behind my ear.
"Thanks, Billy. It's good to see you." I replied, looking him over. He hadn't changed much in five years, just looked older and a little more worn down.
The door swung open again and Charlie moved himself beside Billy's wheelchair, out of the way. I looked up as my old friend shut the door behind him and shot me a grin, "Bells". I was forced to smile at the old nickname, and I moved forward as he spoke. He wrapped his large frame around my tiny one, engulfing me in a big hug.
"Jake, you look..older." I spoke into his shoulder, a little unsure of how to continue. He'd gotten ..well, huge. Quite a difference between sixteen year old Jake and the little boy I'd remembered.
"I hear that happens when people age." He remarked, allowing his arms to fall back into place at his sides. "What're you like, twenty-five now?" I laughed a bit at the old joke as Billy turned himself around and headed back toward the front door.
"You kids enjoy your reunion. Dinner's still in the oven and the game's on." He looked over at Charlie who followed him, holding the door as he and Billy made their way inside.
"I'll be in to check on it in about fifteen minutes, Dad." Jake spoke up before he turned his attention back to me and motioned for me to follow him as he sat down on the steps. "Lasagna, it's pretty much the fanciest thing I can make."
I shook my head and made myself comfortable next to him. "What's the occasion?"
"Well, it's not every day my best child-hood friend moves back to town." He laughed. His warmth was infectious and I began to realize how much I'd missed him over the years. A feeling of selfishness and abandonment ran through me and I looked down at my hands, playing with the sleeve of my jacket.
"I'm sorry, Jake. I should've called you, wrote to you.. something over the last few years. I.." He cut me off, holding his hand up and making a motion that was supposed to mean something along the lines of 'Don't worry about it.'
"You're here now, and we'll have plenty of time to catch up. I understand, there's nothing to apologize for." I looked back up at him and smiled again. Despite how different he looked, he was still the same old Jake. The conversation made me realize why I was so anxious about this visit, I'd felt like a jerk for the way I'd acted about everything. I guess I'd been expecting to find my extended family as sad and upset as when I'd left them. That was kind of ridiculous considering the length of time that had passed. Jake and Billy both seemed back to their old selves and I smiled at the thought.
"I know. I still should've been a better friend. I've missed you." I nudged his shoulder with mine, feeling more relaxed. As much as I hadn't really been looking forward to moving back here, I was glad I did. I missed the town, my Dad, the Blacks. They'd all been such a large part of my growing up and when I hit the teenage years I kind of just left it all behind in my mind. My mother never brought up Forks in conversation, I think in a way she felt ashamed for the way she'd handled the situation when she left. The one time we did talk about it was after the summer I'd come home early. She explained to me why she did what she did, and how the events of that day played out. Long story short, she gave my dad about a three hour notice before she packed everything up and took us away; the main reason I'll never agree with what she did.
I was brought back to the present as Jacob waved his hand in front of my face. "Earth to Bells! Are you even listening?" He looked a bit confused as I apologized, asking him to repeat what he'd said. "I just kind of zoned out, I've been on a trip down memory lane since I got here." I explained.
His smile returned once more, and he repeated himself. " I told you to stop worrying and that everything's good. I know why you acted the way you did and I don't blame you. I do expect you to make up for it by spending lots of time with your old best friend now that you're living here again, though." His tone was playful and again I was reminded of the old Jake. It'd been far too long since I'd spent time with him and I was truly grateful that I had the chance now.
"Of course." I laughed, situating myself more comfortably on the step. "How about I start by asking you to come hang out at First Beach on Saturday? A few kids from school invited me and since you're really the only friend I have here in Forks..."
"Wow, Bells, you've been here a total of what, 72 hours and you're already Ms. Popular? Pretty impressive for shy soft-spoken Isabella Swan." He joked, his smile creasing his cheeks into adorable dimples.
"See... I don't think it's that as much as it is the welcoming committee at Forks High, I stepped one foot into that school and it seemed like they had to include me in all of their upcoming activities. Apparently getting a new student is a huge deal around here." I retorted, grinning.
He moved from his position next to me, dusting off his khaki shorts as he walked toward the door. "Well, count me in. I'm down for meeting some of your pale-face friends. Maybe they'll build sand castles with us." He stated, holding the door open as I stood and we stepped into his living room while I responded.
"Come on Jake, aren't you ever going to grow up?" I asked, humorously.
"Never, Bells. I enjoy my youth way too much. Wouldn't want to become old and boring like you." He replied, amusement evident in his voice.
Jake has always possessed the amazing ability to turn any situation into a joke, to put a smile on my face no matter what. He practically oozed positive energy, and anyone within a mile's radius of him was infected. I hadn't seen him in so long but despite the time that had gone by, it felt like nothing had changed between us. We'd picked up right where we'd left off, effortlessly. Jake and Bells were back, and I was pretty happy about it.
Dinner was great, which I was pretty surprised about. Jake hadn't sounded too confident about his ability to prepare a meal, and even apologized to me in advance, in case it didn't "taste good." Billy had overheard and proceeded to argue that Jake was a great cook. Then made sure to spend a good amount of time doting on Jake about how good he'd been with helping out; cooking, cleaning, and helping Billy around the house. He was right when he'd pointed out how quickly he'd grown into a man. Despite his age Jake was definitely an adult. The bond between the two was wonderful to witness, and it made me a little sad that Charlie and I weren't as close as they were. Though I think a lot of that is because of how alike we are, not so much the distance and time spent apart. We shared a lot of the same characteristics personality-wise, most of those being linked to our not-so-overly-affectionate nature.
After dinner the adults went back into the living room to watch the last bit of the game they'd been so interested in. Jake had asked me to come outside with him and I agreed, grabbing my jacket from the coat rack near the front door; the sun had set by this time and it was a bit chilly outside. He wrapped his arm loosely around my shoulders and steered me toward the garage on the side of the house. "I want to show you something." He explained, as I noticed just how much he'd grown up. My 5'4" had nothing on his height. He had to have been at least in the 5'10"-6ft range, somewhere around 180 lbs. He was solid, though, that much was noticeable through his clothing. His hair was long, dark, and beautiful, and his skin was really tan, more so than I'd remembered. Billy had mentioned how much time Jake spent out doors during dinner, and I assumed the Sun had added to his already dark complexion. Long lost best friend or not, I couldn't help but notice how gorgeous he was, and how much he looked like his mother.
Shaken from my thoughts, I watched as he motioned toward the car in front of us. "1986 Volkswagen Rabbit. My baby." I laughed at his enthusiasm, looking over the car. It was dark in color and the hood was currently open, tools and things littering the area around it.
"Charlie told me how you fixed up the truck for me, thanks, it runs great." I mentioned, walking over to an empty stool in the corner of his garage. I looked around Jacob's "sanctuary" as he'd called it earlier, and sat down while he moved to grab the seat across from mine.
"No problem, I had fun doing it. I was pretty excited when he told me you were coming back." He winked, moving his arms over his head in a stretching-motion. "Hasn't been the same since you left." He added, a tiny hint of sadness coating his voice.
"I missed this place more than I thought, you know?" I asked rhetorically, swinging my feet around, as they didn't quite touch the floor. I still felt guilty about how I'd handled the situation, despite his reassurances earlier this afternoon. "Don't worry, I never had a friend quite like you back in Phoenix." I promised as he responded with one of those dimple-revealing smiles of his.
"I know the feeling." He responded, quietly, before Charlie interrupted by calling for me from the back porch.
"It's about time to head out, we've got an early day tomorrow and the old man here is getting tired." He motioned toward Billy, who smirked at him from the doorway, and I moved from my place on the stool.
"All right, I'll be there in a sec." I called back, as I tripped over one of the tools lying in my path and nearly fell flat on my face on the concrete of the garage's floor. Thankfully Jake had quick reflexes and caught my elbow before I lost total control of my balance.
"Easy" He laughed, while helping me to get my bearings. "I see you're still the same graceful Bells I remember." The playful tone was back and I straightened myself out, adjusting myself before walking carefully to the door open door of the garage.
"Shut up, Jake." I spat, sending him a mock expression of annoyance.
"See you later, Bells." He responded, the smile still lighting up his features. "Make sure you let me know about Saturday." He added, before swooping me up in another bear-hug and sending me on my way back toward Charlie and the cruiser.
"Bye, Billy, thanks for having me." I said before opening the door of the car.
"Anytime, Bella, just glad you're back. Your old man needs someone to keep him in line when I'm not around to do it." He joked.
"Thank god we've got Jake here to do that for you" Charlie replied as Jake followed behind me and settled next to his dad on the porch.
I smiled and slid into the car next to Charlie. The two of them waved goodbye to us from the door as we pulled out of their driveway and headed back toward home.
I wasn't excited about moving here at first, apprehensive about leaving everything behind that was so much more familiar to me, but tonight seemed to prove to me that I belonged here. Forks already felt like home again, and I reveled in the feeling of contentment that washed over me as Charlie drove back toward the house.
Please, please, please review. ;]