Chapter Three: Apologizing
The important thing is to not stop questioning.
Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
~Albert Einstein
Suddenly he seemed to be everywhere. At the grocery store, at the beach, at the diner, and he even came into the library a couple times. I don't know why, but I was starting to feel a pull toward him. He started to star more and more in my dreams and so did a black wolf. I had no idea why a wolf would have any meaning in this complicated puzzle that was becoming my life. Though the biggest shock was when Jared had come into the library. Since he and Paul had stopped talking to me they had avoided the library. An even bigger shock was when he came over to the desk and leaned over so his head was above my computer screen as I logged returned books into the system.
"Things are changing, Sunny." Jared said and I scoffed looking around the room before looking up at him.
"No shit. One of my best friends ran off to college to hide from past memories. Then, the only other friends I have ditch me for the rez's loner. I know things are changing." I said and continued scanning the books.
"That's not what I meant, Sunny." Jared said and I saw a tremor run down his arm before he clenched his fists.
"Then what did you mean, Jared?" I asked with a sigh, setting the books aside and leaning back against my chair crossing my arms as I looked up at him. He had grown a good eight inches in height since this all started.
"I mean that things will somewhat get back to normal, just with some changes to the term normal. Paul and I have gone through somethings that only Sam can relate to and staying away was for your safety." Jared said and scoffed.
"My physical safety or my mental safety? Cause I think you just might have failed a little on the mental part." I said and I could see a flicker of pain in Jared's eyes.
"Mainly physical safety and a little mental, but you'll learn why eventually." Jared said and I glared at him.
"If I'll learn about it eventually, then why don't you just tell me now? We haven't kept secrets from each other since Paul got laid for the first time." I said and Jared cringed.
"It's not my right to tell you." Jared said and I laughed incredulously.
"Then who's is it? Paul's?" I asked and Jared shook his head.
"Sam's?" I asked exasperated and Jared nodded.
"Does this have something to do with why he's been following me around town?" I asked and Jared looked surprised at my question.
"He's been following you?" Jared asked and I nodded.
"Yeah, tell him that if he's going to follow the police chief's daughter that he needs to be a little more inconspicuous." I said and I saw another tremor run down Jared's arms and his jaw set. He looked pissed.
"I'll take care of that." He said but it sounded more like a growl.
"I'll talk to you later, Sunny. I have to go." Jared said and started to leave, but not before coming around the desk and giving me a tight hug.
"No matter what, Sunny. You'll always be one of my best friends and my sister at heart." Jared whispered in my ear. This all left me confused beyond belief. They go from being my best friends to wanting nothing to do with me, and now suddenly they say that they've gone through something and only Sam Uley can tell me what's going on.
I tried to think it through, but was getting no where. I was broke out of my musing by someone clearing their throat. I hurried checked out the book and returned to the task of scanning the returned books. I decided that I would let the chips fall where they may for the time being, but 'eventually' better come sooner rather than later.
After my shift at the library I decided to go down to the beach to sort out my mind. As I pulled up to First Beach I recognized Paul's truck in the parking lot. I wondered if he would react similarly to Jared at the library. I knew Paul liked the cliffs and was probably up there, so I figured I could stay on the far end of the beach away from the cliffs, no sense in pushing too far in one day. I walked down to the alcove and the tide pools and sat down on the edge. I took off my shoes so my dangling feet would brush the cold water as the tide came in.
I don't know how, but I knew when someone was standing behind me. I hadn't heard them, hadn't seen them, but I knew they were there. I waited for a couple minutes, listening for movement or for them to speak. I barely felt the water rising on my feet as I concentrated on my visitor.
"Are you going to talk or are you just going to stand there and stare?" I asked as I saw the sun sinking into the water for its nightly rest.
"How'd you know I was here?" A deep voice asked before a large frame joined me at the edge of the pool.
"Didn't you know? All women have eyes in the back of their heads." I said as I looked up into the eyes of one Sam Uley.
"For how long did you know I was there?" He asked and seemed interested in the answer.
"About five minutes now." I said and he nodded as he looked out toward the sun.
"Pretty women like you shouldn't have to have eyes in the back of their heads." Sam said and I was wondering what he meant by that but decided that it didn't matter what he meant.
"Why do you come here alone?" Sam asked and I looked away from the descending sun to look at him.
"Because my father's working and you have confiscated my friends that are still around." I said and he looked down toward the water at my feet.
"I don't know how I never knew you when we were in high school, but I would like to correct that if you would let me." Sam said and looked back up at me. I raised and eyebrow as I looked at him.
"Was I supposed to get that understanding from you appearing all over town?" I asked and Sam looked a little sheepish at being caught.
"You were a little too obvious. A man as tall and bulky as you are doesn't go unnoticed when he's at all the same places at the same time as you." I said and gave him a smirk.
"Can I make it up to you by taking you on a date?" Sam asked. I was shocked by the question, I hadn't been expecting to be asked out by the person that took away my friends, my brothers of sorts. I flashed back to my last boyfriend, the fake interest as he tried to worm his way into my pants. I remember Leah, the daughter of my dad's friend that Sam had broken the heart of not even a month ago.
"No." I said shaking my head and pushing myself to my feet. I started to walk away, but was stopped by a hand wrapping around my arm. I flinched from the contact and the heat, remembering the last time a man had grabbed me like this.
"Let go of me." I said desperately and started to struggle against his hold. Sam was quick to release my arm and I took off down the path back to the beach. I didn't stop running till I was at my car. I revved the engine and left quickly racing home. Hot tears ran down my face as the fears and images rushed back to me as I drove back to Forks.
When I got home I rushed inside and up the stairs. I slammed the door and locked it before slowly sliding down the door to the floor hugging myself, trying to keep myself from completely falling into the pain and depression that the memories caused. I sat rocking on my bedroom floor till dad came looking for me when he got home.
"What happened, baby girl?" Dad asked as he pulled me to him, my head laying on his chest as he rocked us.
"I got asked out." I said. My throat was dry and my voice cracked as I spoke. It sounded so stupid that I had freaked after living with this for so long.
"When he asked me out all I could see in front of my eyes was Paxson. I told him no and when I tried to leave he tried to stop me by grabbing my arm and I freaked. I could feel him hitting me again." I said and cried into my father's chest as he continued to rock us as we sat on my bedroom floor.
"Who was this guy that asked you out?" Dad asked when I finally quieted. I could hear the over protective father coming out in my dad with the question.
"Sam Uley." I said.
"Isn't that the boy that broke up with Harry's daughter a month ago?" Dad asked and I nodded.
"Well then I'm glad that you told that boy no. My daughter deserves more than to be some damn rebound." Dad said and I had to smile at the phrase.
"That's the right term isn't it?" Dad asked and I nodded. It was weird hearing my dad trying to talk like Natalie would if she was here, but he was trying to lighten the mood and I was grateful for his attempt. Dad had always been there for me, even when his schedule was so busy that he barely had time to sleep, he still made time to come to my games and school events. I always felt that he was trying to make up for the fact that I didn't have my mother in my life, but I never felt like I was missing out on anything.
"How about we go down stairs, order pizza and watch Forest Gump?" Dad suggested and I smiled up at him and nodded. Dad knew just how to take my mind away from all the painful memories. We went down stairs and while I searched for the movie and put it in the player, dad order a large sausage and olives pizza for us.
Dad and I were settled in, eating our pizza on the couch when there was a knock on the door. I went to stand, but dad quickly stopped me and got up to answer the door. He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch shutting the door behind him. I was curious as to who was here. The only people that knocked on our door where door to door salesmen. Everyone else just walked on in. The only time the door was locked was when no one was home or after dad went to bed.
I quietly got up from my seat and crept lightly to the window that looked over the driveway and front yard. If I craned my neck I would be able to see who dad was with on the front porch. I cautiously looked out the window to Sam Uley talking with my dad on the front porch while he held my shoes that I must have run off without. My curiosity satisfied for the time being I crept back to my seat and snuggled into the couch as Forest was being awarded a metal by the President for his courage in Vietnam.
Dad wasn't gone long before he came back in and threw my shoes by his in the entry. He settled back into the couch, picking up his pizza and taking a bite as he refocused on the screen. I waited for him to say who had been on the porch, but he remained silent as he stared at the screen. He stopped when he noticed me staring at him.
"What?" He asked.
"Who was that?" I asked pointing toward the door.
"Like you don't know? I saw you peek out the window." Dad said with a smirk as I looked away and tried to focus on the screen.
"The boy said you had left without your shoes and he wanted to return them as an olive-branch for upsetting you." Dad said and I nodded.
"I told him that I would take the shoes, but he had to talk to you about accepting the olive-branch." Dad said and I snapped around to look at him.
"Why?" I asked, looking at dad incredulously.
"Its not right for me to accept something on your behalf when you might not have wanted to accept it. As you've liked to point out since you turned 18, you are a legal adult woman who can make her own decisions in life." Dad said smirking. He knew that he had beat out any anger from his actions by quoting me back at me. I huffed and settled back into the couch to finish watching the movie. Why did the old man have to be right all the time?
