Fear My Blunt Instrument Of Torture!

Jake's POV:

I was totally and completely freaked out. Running as a wolf is fun, but I was too tired and scared to care. I couldn't find Brandi anywhere. What if she was dead? Seth had called me back, saying they had found her, but they didn't say if they had found her alive or dead.

Oh god, I hoped against all hopes that she wasn't dead. Dead… The word made me feel like I was going to hurl. And after I thought about what I had said to her… other girls had committed suicide when boys said things like that to them. But she wouldn't… would she?

I finally made it back to the house and staggered through the door.

"Jake, you're finally here," Leah said. She was standing at the end of the hallway and smiling. I had a suspicion that I was going to be deeply sorry if I asked, but…

"Where's Brandi?" There, I had said it.

"At Bella's" was her answer, and I groaned. I had to face Bella and I had to keep running? Wait; maybe I didn't have to run.

I staggered out to my Rabbit I had worked so hard to build. Now, it didn't really seem to matter.

"I'm going to… I'm going to get Brandi," I said, exhaustion causing me to have stop in the middle of my sentence and start again.

She smirked. "Not dressed like that you're not, are you? I mean, it would be funny, but Sam would probably kill me for letting you go out like that."

While she rambled, I looked down. Then I groaned in horror. My embarrassment quickly overcame my fatigue. I was naked!

When I was finally dressed in clothing (pants, a shirt is just a difficulty), I drove to Bella's.

It was too late to ring the doorbell. I quickly jumped into her room, wincing as the sore muscles in my leg strained. At first I thought there was no one there, but out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a shadow. Turning, I saw Brandi sitting on the bed. Her head was in her hands. Her shoulders were shuddering, and I could hear sobbing. Was she… crying?

Oh, hell. Let me tell you, you do not know guilt until you see the girl you love crying, and figure out she's probably crying her eyes out cause of you.

"Umm… Brandi? You okay?"

"Now Jake," came a voice from the hallway. "What exactly to you think the answer to that question is?"

I turned to see Bella at the door, illuminated by the backlight of the hallway.

"No?" I questioned, edgy for a reason I couldn't imagine. I mean, I'm a werewolf, right? I shouldn't be scared of anything, right?

Well, tell that to the alarm bell in my head. Actually, that was probably because I was way out of my depth. I mean, vampires? No sweat. Girls? I totally freeze up.

Brandi had gotten up off the bed, and was standing by the door. Wait, wasn't she crying a minute ago? Those were FAKE tears?! What?!

"Bella?" Brandi said.

"Yes, Brandi?" Bella asked sweetly. That's right! How did they know each other?

"Please give me the crowbar."

"Of course, Brandi."

I watched the events with a growing horror. A crowbar?! They could hurt someone with that!

It was clear they intended to. Namely, that person would be me.

'Uh, guys? There's really no need for violence…" my voice trailed off as they came closer. "And why a crowbar?"

"You told me to hit you with a baseball bat or a crowbar next time," Bella reminded me, Brandi advancing even as she spoke.

"How do you two know each other?" I asked, trying to sidetrack them.

"We're cousins." They smiled at each other. Damn. Cousins? That makes my life a bit harder.

"Jake?" Bella said, suddenly appearing in my line of vision.

"…Huh?" I said at last, a bit too preoccupied with the rapidly approaching Blunt Instrument Of Torture to pay attention.

"Brandi has something to say to you. And you, young man, have something to say to her, don't you?"

Make that a lot harder.

"…I'm sorry?" I said, because it was the first thing that popped into my head.

"That's a start," Brandi said. "Next time, how 'bout you say it with more conviction?"

Next time? I wondered. Saying there was a next time meant she would stick around, right? Brandi whapped me on the head with the Blunt Instrument Of Torture as I opened my mouth to 'say it with more conviction.' I reeled, and my last thought was, Boy, that girl packs a lot of strength in that tiny body of hers.

The last thing I heard was, "Sucker."