Choosing

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Choosing

Chapter 7

"Edward! It's so good to hear from you," I said into the phone, my heart racing from hearing my boyfriend's smooth voice.

"Bella, my love, I'm so happy to hear your voice once again," Edward said. "I've been calling all week, but no one would let me speak to you."

I couldn't believe this. I mean, I had heard the phone ringing several times over the past four days, but I had been so occupied with taking care of Jacob I never considered it was someone calling for me. I was suddenly upset that no one alerted me that Edward was calling. Shaking my head I said, "I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't know that you were calling and no one would let me know."

Edward scoffed and said, "Yes, I'm sure of that. Anyway, I would like to see you, love. Do you think that you will be able to get away from those people?"

I frowned at the way that my boyfriend said 'those people' as he was referring to Billy, the Pack, and Jacob. However I decided not to reprimand Edward on it as to not start a fight with him. Going back to Edward's question I said, "I think so. I won't be avle to call you if I do get away, though."

"Don't worry, Alice will be looking out for you the moment she can see you. I hope to see you soon, Bella."

"Me too, Edward. Bye."

I hung up the phone and sighed, wondering if getting out of La Push without anyone's knowledge was possible. It most likely was, but I'd have to make sure no one saw me leaving. I still couldn't believe that everyone neglected to tell me about Edward's calls. It was just ludicrous to not tell me that my own boyfriend was trying to get in contact with me. I know the history between the Cullens and the Shifters is till rather intense, but honestly!

Just as I turned around I was surprised to run into Paul who was standing rather menacingly behind me. His arms were crossed and he was staring down at me with the utmost disgust, a look no one has given me with such ferociousness. Paul glared down at me and said, "It's amazing how easily persuaded you can be when it comes to those leeches."

Returning his glare, even though it wasn't as harsh as his, I said, "You guys should be ashamed of yourselves. How can you not tell me that my own boyfriend was calling me?"

Paul's face took on a confused expression before he said, "What are you talking about? If one of your precious leeches were calling, we would've known it."

"Don't lie to me! Edward has been trying to get in contact with me all week and none of you decided to tell me that!" I shouted back.

"He's not lying, Bella," Charlie's voice suddenly cut in. "Yes, there has been a numerous amount of phone calls here this week. But every time we answered the phone, the person on the other line would hang up. I wouldn't surprise me if it was him hanging up every time we answered."

I looked at my father in confusion as I processed what he said. I then thought about what Edward said about him calling and no one letting him speak to me. It didn't make sense. Edward had told me one thing, and Charlie had told me another. I wasn't sure who to believe, my father or my boyfriend. I knew I should just trust Charlie's words, but I was more inclined to believe Edward.

Turning to my dad I said, "Edward wouldn't lie to me."

"Right, just like how he lied to you when he broke up with you and your stupid ass went tromping through the woods after him and got lost, prompting a search party to look for you," Paul said with a scoff.

I blanched at the reminder that I had done exactly as he said. Edward had lied to me and told me he didn't love me, and I stupidly believed him. Was Paul trying to make a point that I was going to blindly believe Edward's words over my own father's? It seemed like it, but I didn't want to believe it.

Charlie stepped up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, his chocolate brown eyes so much like my own staring into mine. He searched them for a moment before he said, "I know you want to stick close to that vampire and believe everything he says, but trust me when I say that even vampires like the Cullens can't be trusted, especially the mind reader and little seer."

"You don't know anything about them," I said jumping to the Cullens' defense.

"Oh, and you do?" Charlie said as a rebuttal. "You may think you do, but you only know what they want you to. They've been dazzling you this whole time and you don't even know it. He's been controlling you."

Backing away from Charlie, I shook my head and said, "That's not true. Edward wouldn't do that to me, not me. He loves me."

Charlie rolled his eyes and said, "You're his Singer, Bella. Of course he'll say he loves you and even act like it. And then when he has you at your most vulnerable point, he'll drain you."

"Too bad he didn't do so when you were out of your damn mind months ago when those leeches left. The damn leech would've done the world a favor," Paul cut in, a smirk on his face.

"Paul!" Charlie yelled, whirling on him with a glare on his face.

Paul returned the police chiefs glare with his own saying, "Oh, come on, Charlie. Everyone knows your spawn is crazy. You can't walk into a store in Forks without hearing someone talk about how your daughter is a nut job and why she would surround herself with the richest people in Forks when she has very little self-esteem. Face it, even you think she's fucked in the head. I get she's your little girl and you love her and all, but she's a danger to herself and everyone around her, especially now that she's associated herself with those leeches. The only reason you haven't put her away is because she needs to be here for Jake or else we'll be putting him in the ground before his time."

I looked at Charlie to rebuke Paul's words, but he did nothing. Charlie didn't do or say anything to deny what Paul had said. The breath left my lungs as I realized that my own father wasn't going to defend me against the wolf Shifter. Tears filled my eyes as a sob escaped my throat. I ran past them both and out the door to my truck, jumping in the driver's seat. The keys were already in the ignition so I turned it, starting the engine and letting my truck roar to life.

Right before I was able to pull away Embry ran out of the house and towards me. He hopped into the passenger seat right when I began to drive away, closing the door behind him. As I sped down the road leading out of La Push, Embry asked, "Bella, where are you going?"

"To Edward!" I shout, pressing harder on the gas pedal.

"You can't! If you leave Jake will get sick again!"

"I don't care!"

"You should! If Jake dies, it won't be anyone's fault but your own and his death will be on your hands. Do you really want that for Jake? Do you really want that for yourself?"

"Jacob can find another girl to be his Imprint; it doesn't have to be me."

"Bella, Jake won't choose anyone but you. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you two are linked and destined to be together. But the difference with you guys' Imprint is that Jake already loved you before it happened. Also because he's got Alpha blood in his veins, the separation affects him much differently than it will for the rest of us. You already saw what it did to him; it's only a matter of time before it starts affecting you."

I slowed down a little and asked, "What do you mean?"

Embry sighed and said, "Jacob nearly died because you weren't with him. If you willingly separate yourself from him to be with that bloodsucker, you will be in much worse shape than you were when the bloodsucker left. You will physically begin to look like an anorexic and will be on your own deathbed."

My tears had stopped and I pulled over to the side of the road. I was about two miles near the border of La Push but I just had to stop from what Embry had told me. This Imprint situation was too much for me to handle. Looking over at Embry I asked, "So what does that mean for me? That I'm just supposed to give up Edward and the Cullens?"

Embry stared back at me and said, "I won't tell you what to do, Bella. But I will say this. You keep telling yourself and anyone that will listen that you love your bloodsucker, but the reality is that whatever love you held for him has waned. In his absence you have fallen in love with Jacob. We've heard you say you love him but you don't mean it the way you should. You may think you love him as a friend, but if you did you wouldn't have broken down the way you did when you saw him four days ago. Like I said, I won't tell you what to do, but whatever choice you make, make sure it's the right choice for you."

I stared at Embry for a while before looking down in my lap. Embry had just given me a speech of wisdom and told me to make a choice. I could either choose Edward, become a vampire and essentially forget about Jacob, or choose Jacob and accept our fate together. Returning from Italy I was so sure I wanted to become a vampire and live with Edward forever, but now I wasn't so sure. I know I keep defending him and his actions, but sometimes I wonder if they really add up. He had said that he had called to speak with me this week and was prevented, only for his words to be shot down by Charlie. Why would Edward say that no one would let him talk to me if he hung up the phone whenever they picked up? Was Edward lying to me and I was just too naïve to be notice? Was I so blinded by my love for Edward that I would blindly believe whatever he said and do anything for him? I already ran off to Italy to save him, so I guess thinking that wasn't too farfetched.

But right now the real question was whether I was going to continue going to see Edward or stay in La Push with Jacob. I looked back at Embry who was patiently waiting for my decision. Coming to one I pulled away from the side of the road and drove towards the border, crossing it and leaving La Push headed back towards Forks. I heard Embry sigh in what sounded like defeat before I said, "Embry, I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?" Embry asked curiously.

"I need you to stick around with me when I meet with Edward."

"Why?"

"Because I need to hear from him the truth, about the calls, his intentions, everything. If he loves me the way he claims to, he will tell me."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"I might be breaking up with Edward tonight, and I need you to be my guard. Can you do that?"

Embry stared at me in shock for a moment before saying, "I can do that."