Chapter 7:

"Morning Bells," I greeted happily the next morning in the parking lot at school. She smiled at me

"Morning Lexi,"

"Sleep well?" I wondered

"Not last night," she sighed

"Last night? Was there an exception?" I wondered

"Yeah, Saturday night was peaceful." she smiled. I grinned.

After that I noticed that Bella was actually starting to pay attention to everyone, trying to get back into school. It wasn't working for her well as her friends were used to her ignoring them.

"Hey," I said at lunch when I saw her "How's your day been?"

"Awful." she grumbled

"Why?" I questioned

"I feel like I'm invisible," she confessed

"Why?" I asked again

"No one seems to see me,"

"It's not that they don't see you Bells, they just think you're not paying attention and wont answer. It's what you've been doing for months." I confessed "Same with your friends, they don't bother talking to you cause you don't listen." I shrugged. She looked guilty

"Was I that bad?"

"Well… to everyone but me, I think I got the most answers out of you," I confessed

"Sorry," she muttered. I shook my head

"Wasn't your fault… entirely," I smirked. She smiled

"Want me to sit with you? That way I can talk to you if they don't," she looked like she debated over the offer before nodding sheepishly. I smiled and we walked over to the unusually full table. Mike was there, Jessica and Angela, Conner, Tyler, Eric and Lauren. Katie Marshall, the redheaded junior who lived around the corner from Bella, was sitting with Eric, and Austin Marks was next to her.

No one looked at Bella when we sat down, Bella next to Mike and me on her other side. I received a few hellos and smiles but Bella was right, it was like she was invisible, even though the chair squealed stridently against the linoleum as she dragged it back no one looked at her.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," I muttered to her. She sighed and nodded.

"Where's Ben today?" Lauren was asking Angela. Bella turned to listen immediately.

"Ben's got the stomach flu," Angela said in her quiet, calm voice. "Hopefully it's just some

twenty-four hour thing. He was really sick last night."

"What did you two do this weekend?" Jessica asked, not sounding as if she cared about the answer. I'd bet that this was just an opener so she could tell her own stories.

"We were going to have a picnic Saturday, actually, but... we changed our minds," Angela

said. There was an edge to her voice that caught my interest. Jess, not so much.

"That's too bad," she said, about to launch into her story. But I wasn't the only one who was paying attention.

"What happened?" Lauren asked curiously.

"Well," Angela said, seeming more hesitant than usual, though she was always reserved, "We drove up north, almost to the hot springs — there's a good spot just about a mile up the trail. But, when we were halfway there... we saw something."

"Saw something? What?" Both Lauren and I asked. Lauren's pale eyebrows pulled together. Even Jess seemed to be listening now. But that wasn't what interested me, I suddenly remembered the day I was driving not too long ago, and I saw the shape next to me.

"I don't know," Angela said. "We think it was a bear. It was black, anyway, but it seemed… too big." Lauren snorted.

"Oh, not you, too!" Her eyes turned mocking "Tyler tried to sell me that one last week."

"You're not going to see any bears that close to the resort," Jessica said, siding with Lauren.

"Really," Angela protested in a low voice, looking down at the table. "We did see it." Lauren snickered. Mike was still talking to Conner, not paying attention to the girls.

"No I agree with her," I said just as Bella opened her mouth. I felt bad as everyone turned to me as I ate a bit more of my lunch. "I saw something too, but I wasn't even near a trail."

"Where were you?" Angela wondered

"Driving into LaPush. I saw something next to me, running and I slammed my foot on the break. Now that I think about it, I forgot about that." I confessed. Lauren didn't seem to believe me,

"Come on, did you even see anything?" she asked. I glared at her.

"You doubting me?"

"Well did you see anything?"

"Obviously I did or I wouldn't have brought it up." I argued. Others might put up with her attitude but I refused too. She seemed surprised that I did argue back.

"No, they're right," Bella threw in impatiently. "We had a hiker in just Saturday who saw the bear, too, Angela. He said it was huge and black and just outside of town, didn't he, Mike?" There was a moment of silence. Every pair of eyes at the table turned to stare at Bella in shock. The new girl, Katie, had her mouth hanging open like she'd just witnessed an explosion. Nobody moved. Bella looked at me a little awkwardly before turning to Mike

"Mike?" she muttered, mortified. "Remember the guy with the bear story?"

"S-sure," Mike stuttered after a second. He was staring at Bella completely stunned. Mike recovered. "Yeah, there was a guy who said he saw a huge black bear right at the Trailhead — bigger than a grizzly," he confirmed.

"Hmph." Lauren turned to Jessica, her shoulders stiff, and changed the subject. I pulled a face at her back and Bella smirked at me. I winked.

"Did you hear back from USC?" Lauren asked Jessica. Everyone else looked away, too, except for Mike and Angela. Angela smiled at Bella tentatively, and she hurried to return the smile.

"So, what did you do this weekend, Bella?" Mike asked, curious, but oddly wary. Everyone but Lauren looked back, waiting for her response.

"Friday night, Jessica and I went to a movie in Port Angeles. And then I spent Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday down at La Push with Alex." I smiled at her. The eyes flickered to Jessica and back to Bella. Jess looked irritated. I wondered if she didn't want anyone to know she'd gone out with Bella as no one seemed to know that she did, or whether she just wanted to be the one to tell the story.

"What movie did you see?" Mike asked, starting to smile.

"Dead End — the one with the zombies." Bella grinned in encouragement.

"I heard that was scary. Did you think so?" Mike was eager to continue the conversation.

"Bella had to leave at the end, she was so freaked," Jessica inserted with a sly smile. Bella nodded, trying to look embarrassed.

"It was pretty scary." she sent me a smile and I winked at her.

Mike didn't stop asking her questions till lunch was over. Gradually, the others were able to start up their own conversations again, though they still looked at Bella a lot. Angela talked mostly to Mike and Bella. I mostly stayed silent, quite content with the fact that Bella was talking to her friends again, and that they were talking back. When we got up to dump our trays, Angela came too.

"Thanks," she said in a low voice when we were away from the table.

"For what?" Bella and I chorused.

"Speaking up, sticking up for me." she said

"No problem."

"No way was Lauren going to have the final say." I smiled. We fell into silence and Angela looked at Bella with concern, but not the offensive, maybe-she's-lost-it kind.

"Are you okay?" she asked

"Not completely," Bella admitted. "But I'm a little bit better."

"I'm glad," she said. "I've missed you." Lauren and Jessica strolled by us then, and we heard Lauren whisper loudly,

"Oh, joy Bella's back." Angela rolled her eyes at them, and smiled at Bella in encouragement.

"One day I'm going to slap her," I said simply "And I'm not a violent person." silence dawned again before Bella spoke

"What's today's date?" she wondered suddenly.

"It's January nineteenth." Angela answered

"Hmm."

"What is it?" Angela asked.

"It was a year ago yesterday that I had my first day here," Bella mused.

"Nothing's changed much," Angela muttered, looking after Lauren and Jessica.

"I agree, I was just thinking the same thing." I smirked. It was almost like the last four months never happened.


"So, how's she doing?" Jordan asked when I sat down in Biology

"She's talking again," I shrugged in response while Bella was still at the door

"That's good?" he half asked. I rolled my eyes at him

"Yes it's good." I smiled. That was the end of that conversation as I drifted off. Angela's conversation really had reminded me of that evening. But what I had seen was definitely not a bear. Like I'd thought then, it was too graceful. I agree that it was huge but… And then there'd been the other night when I thought someone was following me home from Jacob's house. I still wasn't sure if I was over thinking things but, now that I thought about it, I don't think I was.

This bugged me, if it wasn't a bear, then what was it? What else could be huge, but graceful like that? And close to human civilisation. Animals didn't do that unless they were frightened by something that caused them to run into the open. These woods hid them. But they wouldn't run voluntarily along side the road. That was stupid.

The class passed in what felt like a minute as I was drowned in my thoughts. History was much the same, passing in no time flat before the school day came to a close.

I walked out to my car and was about to get in when someone called my name. I turned around to see Bella

"Lex," she said

"Yeah?" I asked, a little surprised

"Are you going to Jake's?" she wondered

"Yeah?" I repeated "Why?"

"I have something I need to do, so I'll be a little longer."

"Alright, want me to tell Jake?"

"Please?" she half begged

"Sure," I nodded with a smile. She smiled at me before moving on to her car. I got in mine and drove to LaPush.

"Hey," Jacob smiled and gave me a hug when I arrived.

"Hey," I smiled back "Uh, Bella said she had to do something real quickly so she'll be a few minutes late but she's still coming."

"What was it?" Jacob wondered

"I don't know," I shrugged

"Fair enough." he smirked. We hadn't been sitting for more than five minutes before Bella's truck rocked up.

"Hey, Bella," Jacob called.

"Hey, Jacob," she said back before waving at Billy, who was looking out the window.

"Let's get to work," Jacob said in a low but eager voice. Bella laughed

"You seriously aren't sick of me yet?" she wondered. I looked at her surprised

"What? Of you?" I asked smirking. "No. I for one don't spend enough time with you." I joked. She rolled her eyes as Jacob led the way around the house to his garage.

"Nope. Not yet." he answered

"Please let me know when I start getting on your nerves. I don't want to be a pain."

"Okay." He laughed, a throaty sound. "I wouldn't hold your breath for that, though."

When we walked into the garage, even I was shocked to see the red bike standing up, looking like a motorcycle rather than a pile of jagged metal.

"Dude, did you sleep at all?" I questioned. Jacob just laughed at me.

"Course I did,"

"I don't believe you," I retaliated immediately. But he just smirked.

"Jake, you're amazing," Bella breathed. He laughed again.

"I get obsessive when I have a project." He shrugged. "If I had any brains I'd drag it out a little bit." I smirked when I realised what he meant.

"Why?" Bella asked not getting it. He looked down, pausing for so long that I wondered if he hadn't heard her question. I went and sat next to the red bike as he thought. Finally, he spoke,

"Bella, if I told you that I couldn't fix these bikes, what would you say?" She didn't answer right away, either.

"I would say… that's too bad, but I'll bet we could figure out something else to do. If we got really desperate, we could even do homework." Jacob smiled, and his shoulders relaxed. He sat down next to the bike opposite me and I winked at him. Jacob smiled and picked up a wrench. "So you think you'll still come over when I'm done, then?"

"Is that what you meant?" Bella shook her head. "I guess I am taking advantage of your very underpriced mechanical skills. But as long as you let me come over, I'll be here."

"Hoping to see Quil again?" he teased.

"You caught me." He chuckled.

"You really like spending time with me?" he asked, marvelling.

"Very, very much. And I'll prove it. I have to work tomorrow, but Wednesday we'll do something non-mechanical." Bella promised

"Like what?" Jacob wondered

"I have no idea. We can go to my place so you won't be tempted to be obsessive. You could bring your schoolwork — you have to be getting behind, because I know I am."

"Homework might be a good idea." He made a face "Lex?" he asked me. I looked up and looked between them both. I thought

"Narr, that's alright," I declined. I wasn't going to spoil all of their alone time.

"Why not?"

"Homework with you two? Doesn't sound like much actual homework will get done." I smirked. As Bella was sitting behind me I turned to Jacob and sent him a wink. I saw him blush under his russet skin but he smiled at me.

"We're not that bad," Bella disagreed. I turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes

"I guess we will have to start being responsible occasionally, or Billy and Charlie aren't

going to be so easygoing about this." Bella made a gesture indicating the three of us as a single

"Homework once a week?" he proposed.

"Maybe we'd better go with twice," Bella suggested. This was good, I wasn't going to join in on their homework dates. Plus, I still had other priorities, like work and friends and gymnastics, even though I didn't do it competitively anymore. Jacob sighed a heavy sigh. Then he reached over his toolbox to a paper grocery sack. He pulled out three cans of soda, cracking one open and handing it to Bella and handing me another. He opened the third, and held it up ceremoniously.

"Here's to responsibility," he toasted. "Twice a week."

"And recklessness every day in between," Bella emphasised. He grinned and touched his can to Bella's. I didn't toast and they both looked at me.

"What? I'm not doing homework." I admitted, causing them both to laugh.