It was about 7AM when I finally sat up and realized there was enough light coming from the window to make things seem a little less scary. I had decided at some point when my mind was running a million miles per hour that I would have much rather dealt with Nick and his bullshit then this unknown creature out of a sci-fi show. Maybe Bigfoot did exist right around the corner from me? Maybe I could have made millions if only I had a video camera on me at the time? The thought of not knowing was terrifying me. I almost wished I had seen the thing in all its glory so at least I would know what I was dealing with. The slight throbbing in my wrist was my only reminder right now.

I thought about running to the drug store to get any form of nighttime pills but the more I thought about it, the less appealing it seemed. I didn't want to leave Miles who was acting as my comfort blanket right now. I could feel my eyes burning with a lack of sleep. Despite all of this, I still laid still in bed staring at the ceiling. Time must have passed and I screamed when my phone started ringing from an unknown number.

"Hello?" I ended up answering. I could feel my voice shaking.

"Hello, is this Miss. Collins?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"This is she." I really did have to get my voice under control. I'm sure I sounded like I'd been crying or something.

"Hello. My name is Sarah and I'm calling from Bartown Brewing. We received your application and would like for you to come in for an interview. What's your schedule like?"

So I finally found somewhere in Port Angeles to interview. That helped me clear my voice up for the rest of the phone call. I would be heading up there tomorrow to interview and if all things went well then a second interview with their General Manager. I felt like I knew enough about beer to be able to bullshit my way through that. Years of serving and bartending helped me gain a lot of useless knowledge about drinks and food and pairing them together.

I was going to set the phone down when I realized I never texted Jacob back. I opened the conversation and wondered why he was texting me so late asking if I was awake.

'No' was all I sent back to him. I knew I wasn't giving him anything to work on if he wanted to have a conversation but who said I necessarily wanted a conversation with the guy?

'You up?' was fuck boy translation for an opening. Similar to 'Let's play 20 questions' or some other bullshit like that. Granted, Jacob didn't exactly come across as a fuckboy but who could really know.

My phone chimed again and I looked down at his response. 'Right. I take it you didn't sleep'

I read the sentence twice with a confused expression. What was that supposed to mean? And how did he know I didn't sleep?

'How do you know I didn't sleep?' I texted back, getting a weird vibe. I didn't know if it's just because I was so jumpy or what but something didn't feel right. Maybe I was just being paranoid. I tried rolling my wrist around for a second to see if it would loosen up.

'Seemed like a cranky answer' He responded seconds later. I half glared at my phone, weird feeling disappearing instantly. Well no shit I was cranky, I didn't sleep! Who was he to call me out on that? Jerk. I let out an angry huff and put the phone down on the cheap beat-up bedside table. I tried to run a hand through the tangles in my hair but was unsuccessful. Maybe a shower would clear my head. Or maybe that thing in the forest would seize the opportunity of me being distracted and break in and kill me. Dying in the shower must have been awkward for whoever found your body. Would the water still be running? Would the person have time to grab the curtain or something to cover themselves up?

"What the fuck am I thinking about?" I muttered to myself before getting up. Miles barely moved while I distracted myself with a shower. Maybe I would blow dry my hair and straighten it too, though I don't know how successful I'll be with a bum wrist. That would take some time and would serve as another distraction. When I got out of the shower, I stood in my closet looking for something to wear. Some yoga pants and a sweater would be perfect for not leaving the house. I jumped when my phone dinged with my text tone. I walked over seeing Jacob's name at the top of the screen.

'See? No response says you're cranky' It read. I huffed again and decided to respond.

'Double texting makes you seem desperate' It was a pretty rude thing to say but I didn't care. Maybe it would annoy him and he'd stop texting me. Why was he texting me anyway?

Because we were friends? Were we even friends? I mean, the most of the time I've seen the guy he was acting like a dick with a stick up his ass. But then the night at the diner he was pretty funny and sweet. Still a tad annoying but friendly nonetheless. A dinging noise pulled me from my thoughts and I looked down at the phone, frown deepening.

'What if I am?'

What if he was what? What if he was desperate? Desperate for what? Oh god, is he flirting right now?! Was this normal flirting behavior? I hadn't flirted with anyone in so long, I had no idea anymore. Oh, sweet Jesus, I was not prepared for something like this. How was I supposed to respond to that? Flirt back? But then that would be sending the hint that I liked him like that and I didn't. I mean, he was hot as fuck and I bet good in bed, but that didn't mean I liked him. I don't even really know the guy!

Fuck.

I'm not good at this kind of stuff. I couldn't even remember flirting with Nick. That was just like a time bomb that went off and then suddenly we were in this relationship. I suddenly felt like a middle school-er gushing over the phone with her gal pals over what some testosterone run boy had said to her. I needed to get a grip. I decided to get dressed, brush my hair, and then I would come back to this debacle in a few minutes.

Obviously I took my time doing everything because I still had yet to think of a response. I could either call him out on it and shut it down real quick, or I could ignore it. I could also just steer the conversation in a different direction but that still entailed speaking. Maybe I should just be a bitch and he'll change his mind. This is all assuming that he is actually flirting and not just being an ass. That was also a feasible situation.

Okay, I was going to go for the sarcastic answer.

'Real cute…' I sent back after some time and let out a big sigh. I glanced at the time and then looked over at the covered up window. I had been so distracted by Jacob's stupid ass that I completely forgot about the beast outside my window.

'I know I am. Working tonight?' Maybe he wasn't flirting. Maybe he was just looking for free drinks or something along those lines. That seemed more probable to me.

'Yes. 4' I responded but after it had sent I realized I probably didn't need to tell him when I started. Maybe my parts came in early and that's the only reason he was asking. Maybe I shouldn't be thinking this hard about it.

Maybe I should stop thinking about maybes… I thought to myself.

I busied myself with doing my hair like I promised myself and when it was time to take Miles out to go to the bathroom I managed to stop my panic attack from creeping up. The daylight really helped calm me down. I also decided when we made it back inside to take a small nap and was pleasantly surprised when I managed to sleep for an hour. I then distracted myself with doing my makeup for work. I decided on a smoky eye and hope it just blended in with the giant bags under my eyes. I pulled some jeans on and a black shirt, which is what I was supposed to be wearing to work. I decided to throw a maroon zip up sweater on over that and call it a day. I still had an hour to sit around and do nothing. I pulled my phone out and scrolled through the local news to see if anything about a mysterious creature popped up but nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening. I thought about looking up Everett's news but knew that was a bad idea before I could even finish the thought. I sighed and played with Miles until I had to leave. He always seemed to know when it was work time for me because as soon as I was grabbing my purse and keys he was tucking himself into his bed. I wished I could sleep as much as him.

The walk from my door to car turned into a dash and I slammed the door shut a little too hard. While I drove to work I thought about getting a gun but I knew I could never shoot one. I'd most likely shoot myself before I managed to hit any type of target. A stun gun seemed more logical. Could you even buy those at a regular store?

One of those would have come in handy with Nick… I thought darkly before pulling up to work. I probably looked stupid running into work but I wasn't about to risk being the only one in a parking lot.

"Hey sweetie." Joe nodded from the register to me as I rounded behind the bar.

"Hey. How was this morning?" I smiled to the few people sitting at the bar rail and set my purse down.

"Eh, average day. Thursday night football tonight and it's a good one. You going to be okay by yourself?" He asked, closing the register and crossing his arms.

"I think I'll manage. Might turn into a rough crowd tonight though." I smirked glancing over at a regular while Joe raised an eyebrow in question.

"I'm looking at you!" I pointed to the regular and both him and Joe laughed at my poor attempt at humor. "But I'll be good. Worked football days before."

After about forty minutes of me being there, Joe left, no doubt to watch the game somewhere else. Realistically I hated football games because then I had to have the sound on for the game instead of my music.

The bar rail did fill up for the game and a few guys stood around the bar talking and watching. Thankfully that meant I could busy myself with something at all times and didn't have time to think about anything else. Around halftime I was busy standing at one end of the bar talking about sports (or what little I knew about sports) to a group of older guys. They were being a little cheeky and I hated playing around with them but I had to pay my rent somehow…

"Oh come on, Baylee! You have to at least know how many quarters a game has!" One of them was making fun of me and I crossed my arms, mindful of my wrist, and laughed.

"Yes, I know at least that. I know it for every sport!" I defended myself.

"How many in hockey?" His friend asked and I opened my mouth to answer only to realize I didn't actually know the answer. They all started laughing and I looked down the bar rail to see if anyone needed a beer. That's when my eyes landed on the linebacker and his friend standing at the end of the bar leaning across the bar. I rolled my eyes but realized I was still smiling. I started to walk away.

"Hey! I know baseball has nine innings!" I pointed to the guys who were still laughing while I walked down the bar. I made it about halfway before some guy was calling me babe and asking for another beer.

"Of course!" I turned and decided to pour it right then and there so I wouldn't have to deal with him for a bit again. I turned and rolled my eyes to the back of my head as the beer poured.

"Busy night for you." Jacob said as I walked up to him and his friend. I vaguely recognized him from the beach that one time.

"Thursday night football." I shrugged putting my hands in my sweater pockets, but hitting my wrist weird and I instantly pulled it back out and let it hang by my side. "You've missed half the game." I told him, noticing the small frown on his face.

"Who said I'm here for the game?" He countered, his face growing into a small smile and I was floored again. I might have been stupid on the subject but that was definitely flirting.

"Ah. You must have run out of beer at your house then." I dodged it and the guy behind him chuckled and I remembered he was standing there this whole time. I'm sure I had a blush on my face, which was embarrassing. "What are you drinking?" I asked before he could say anything else.

"Bud Light." He answered.

"Shocking." I said before I could even think about it. Oops. "And you?" I asked the guy behind him.

"Oktoberfest." He put his arm on Jacob's shoulder and leaned on him.

"I.D." I said and he snorted. I don't care if you look like a professional linebacker, dude, just give me the I.D. I thought fighting the urge to roll my eyes. He handed it over and I went to go reach for it with my bad hand and quickly caught it and switched. I actually knew to check the birthday this time before glancing at the name and picture. Quil. What an interesting name. I handed it back and turned before I said anything else stupid but not before noticing Jacob frowning again. I came back and put their beer down before going to fill a couple more beers.

"Alright Baylee," My attention was once again grabbed by the guys at the end of the bar. "This is an easy one! Name one player on Seattle this year."

"The dude who wouldn't have sex with Ciara…uh…Russell something." They started cracking up and I snickered. "Wilson!" I remembered after a second. "See, I know shit!" I laughed at myself.

"Hasn't your boyfriend made you watch games with him before?" One of them asked and I snorted. Nick didn't give a shit about sports. Was too busy looking for his next high or fuck.

"Who said I had a boyfriend?" I countered.

"Ah come on! A pretty girl like you has to have guys all over you." One of them chimed in and I shook my head.

"My dog is the only guy for me right now." I smirked.

"You're one of those heartbreaker types, I bet." Another jumped in. I shook my head again getting slightly uncomfortable.

"Hardly."

"Mhm, sure." He gave me a side eye before taking a sip of his beer. I just shook my head and walked away.

I didn't know which end of the bar was worse. Listening to Jacob maybe flirt with me or these guys teasing me about my love life. Middle of the bar wasn't going to work, that was too close to the guy calling me babe every time he needed something. I guess I could talk to Jacob's friend. Or stay on neutral subjects like my car or something. When I made my way over to them, Quil was leaning on Jacob against saying something quietly to him. I slightly regretted walking up because I felt like I was intruding on some secret.

"So when is my car getting fixed?" I asked.

"They should be here tomorrow." Jacob answered. "If they get here in the morning I could do it right then and there."

"Can't. I have a job interview tomorrow and then work right after. Saturday morning would work."

"A job interview?" Quil jumped in. "Not digging being a bartender?" He asked and I felt my brows pinch together before I could stop them. What a rude comment. Why did people always make it seem like hospitality was a bad job? Like who cares if you're a server for a living. As long as you're making money and surviving what did it matter?

"For a second bartending job, actually." I responded with maybe a little too much snark.

"Where at?" Jacob jumped in shoving Quil off of him.

"A small brewery up in Port Angeles."

"Port Angeles? That's a drive everyday." Jacob frowned at me and I shrugged, indifferently. I had already looked it up. It was about an hour but it was an easy drive so I didn't mind. Plus I wouldn't be working everyday of the week so it didn't matter to me.

"If the money is good enough then I don't mind the drive. Hoping it's pretty busy there on weekends." I explained.

"So you're leaving here?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Going to try and do both."

"That's going to be exhausted." Quil jumped in again.

"I'll take being tired every now and then for some extra money." I said before walking away to help other guests. People were starting to cash out as the game ended. I got another round for Jacob and his friend before standing by the computer and entering all my credit card tips. While I was doing the mundane task, my mind wandered a little to later tonight. I would have to leave by myself and stand outside while I locked up. And the building was pretty close to a forest. I had seen something here in the past. Not the extent of last night but enough to know something was there. I frowned down at the computer before looking over at my phone.

I had been too scared to look anything up last night but maybe there was some urban legend in the forest that really did exist and I wasn't the only one who had seen a glance of it before.

I looked down the bar at Jacob and his friend, wondering if they knew any stories of weird things in the forest. Like a Bigfoot or something. I had heard of the Jersey devil before so maybe it was something like that. Jacob was looking back at me with a curious expression while his friend chatted on about something, not noticing that Jacob wasn't really paying attention to him.

Would he make fun of me for asking something so silly? I didn't know how to even word it without coming off paranoid. 'Hey, do you know anything of the giant beast that stalked me the other night?!' That just sounded stupid. I looked back down at the computer and glanced over at my phone. Maybe googling wasn't a bad option. It would make me seem a little less crazy. I turned around and noticed two people wanting to cash out so I used it as a temporary distraction.

The throbbing in my wrist only served as a reminder of what was waiting outside in the shadows. Was it following me or did it just live around here? Now I was slightly freaking out. I didn't know how I was going to leave tonight without screaming the whole way home.

"Hey blondie, you can cash me out." I looked down to see Quil raising a beer up. I nodded and printed his check.

"You okay? You're looking a little pale." Jacob muttered and Quil snorted.

"She's always pale, dude." I didn't know to take that as an insult or not.

"I'm fine. Running off of no sleep, but fine." I gave a half ass smile.

"I told you, you didn't sleep." Jacob tried to lighten the mood. I gave him a small glare.

"I'm not cranky." I corrected his earlier statement. Quil put cash down on the bar rail and slammed Jacob on the back a couple of times.

"Well you kids have fun. Don't stay out too late!" He laughed to himself before getting up and leaving.

"What time do you get to leave? You look like you could sleep standing up." Jacob turned back to me, completely ignoring Quil.

"Is that code for saying I look like crap?" I asked, only half serious.

Jacob rolled his eyes before staring at me with this weird look. "I don't think you could look like crap if you tried."

"Are you flirting with me?" I blurted out before my brain could even comprehend it was coming out of my mouth.

"What if I was?" He asked, a growing smile appearing on his face. I thought the look suited him really well. It seemed like a genuine smile, no smugness present. On a different note, I didn't know how to respond to his question. Flirting with me was a bad idea. I wasn't looking for any form of relationship but on the other hand, it did feel nice to have someone saying those things to me.

"What if I didn't flirt back?" I answered his question with another question.

"Then I'd just keep trying until you crack by my quick wit and charm." He smirked leaning forward on the bar rail.

"Quick wit? Is that what you call it?" I laughed, before I realized I was also leaning towards him. I took a step back and grabbed Quil's money off the rail, trying to distract myself.

"Okay, so maybe not so much the quick wit, but I definitely have the charm." The way he stared at me was giving me chills. Like he was staring into my soul or something. And those fricking eyes were going to be the death of me.

Jacob ended up staying the whole hour and a half before I started to clean up and lock up.

"Is this part of the flirting thing too? You hanging around until I have to leave?" I questioned as he walked out with me.

"No, this is called just being a decent person and walking out a young lady because it's late and it's the right thing to do." He shrugged and I looked up at him after I had locked the door to the bar.

"Ah, so the charm then." I pointed out and he let out a small laugh.

"Right. The charm." He crossed his arms and smiled down at me. He looked incredibly handsome in that moment. "That and I'm a great guy."

"So humble!" I snickered. I unlocked my car and turned back around to him. "Well I appreciate you waiting with me and walking me out. And for showering me with your charm." I teased him. I did find it charming that he walked me out, even if I was poking fun at him for it. I didn't know many guys who would do that…In fact, I didn't know of ANY guys that would do that.

"I'll text you about the car and we'll figure something out." I told him as I climbed into my car. He nodded and gave me a small wave before turning at making his way to a bike. Some motorcycle or something like that.

It wasn't until I pulled in at home and went to get out of the car that I realized I didn't even think of the beast in the shadows as I was leaving. Didn't even cross my mind once within the last two hours.

Jacob Black served as my distraction in that time. I glanced down at my wrist, still slightly feeling a throbbing before looking back up into the forest. I didn't see anything so I made a dash to the door.

I managed to settle in after a while and eventually I started to fall asleep. I could feel myself drifting, the lack of sleep finally catching up to me. I dreamt of eyes that night, but instead of them being in the shadows watching me, they were on the body of Jacob Black who seemed to chase away all the bad omens.

One Of Those Nights by The Cab

I did a piss poor job of editing this, just so you know. Was in more of a rush to get it out than anything. Sorry for any mistakes, I'll be going back later and editing. Enjoy.