Chapter IX

Four years, you think for sure

That's all you've got to endure

All the total d***s, all the stuck up chicks,

So superficial, so immature

→ High School Never Ends, Bowling For Soup

I dialled Jessie's number, well known off by heart now.

"Wanna meet up tomorrow?" I said straight into the phone. I heard Jessie giggle.

"Collin, it's Monday 1st of September tomorrow."

I paused, and heard her giggle again.

"I'm going back to school tomorrow, silly."

My heart sunk. That's... 7, 8 hours without her? What am I going to do without her? What if she gets hurt in school? I won't know or be able to help her, or...

"Collin?"

"Hmm?"

"Oh, good, you're still there."

"Yeah, er, listen," I wandered for a moment if this would sound too pushy, but then I realised I didn't care. "How are you getting to school tomorrow?"

"By bus, like always, I guess," came her soft voice over the phone. She was a lot braver around me now, but she still had shy spells.

"Listen, do you want a lift to school and back home? Like... on a permanent basis?"

In my head I could see Jessie's face going red, and the thought made me smile.

"Oh... won't that mean you're going out of your way?"

"Nah, I'm getting a job up in Port Angeles," I improvised on the spot. I could probably find some vacancy there, preferably within hearing distance of the school...

"You don't have to," I added quickly into the phone. Don't want to seem to pushy. "I mean it was only if you wanted to, but if you want to then--"

"Yeah, it'd be great," she beamed.

After I'd hung up, I looked around the flat that we shared, but he was nowhere to be seen. "BRADY?!" I roared. "WE'RE GETTING A JOB IN PORT ANGELES!!!"

I heard a groan from outside.

"I went back to school for Seth, I'm not going to work for you!" he yelled back.

"Yes you will!" I yelled back, my mind working. What did Brady like most of all, besides girls? Ah.

"'Cos the next three year's worth of beer for this household is coming out of my wages!"

There was silence, then a slamming of doors and a shuffling of feet. Brady stuck his head into my bedroom doorway.

"What's the catch?"

I just smiled at him.

"Ah," he said with mock wiseness. "Imprint business."

"Look on the bright side, Brady, when you imprint Seth will be cleaning your house and I will be labouring in your garden."

Brady snorted. "If I imprint." He sounded doubtful. "Don't you want to imprint?" But Brady just shrugged.

"Dude, if she comes, she comes. If she doesn't, then living as a sixteen-year-old bachelor for the rest of forever suits me fine."

I raised an eyebrow at him. This might've made sense a few months ago, but now I couldn't imagine not having Jessie.

"Come on!" continued Brady. "It took Taha Aki three generations to find his imprint. By the time I'm on the third generation, you both would've aged with your imprints, which leaves me in the lurch."

I was rather surprised that Brady could talk about something like aging and death so lightly – but then again, it was Brady. My surprise must've shown through to my face because he shrugged.

"Dude, it's gonna happen one day. And when it does, imagine what'll happen when I insult Seth. He'll be hobbling after me with a walking stick going," at this Brady hunched his back, leaned over a mimed walking stick and raised his fist in the air, feebly yelling in a croaky voice, "Come back 'ere you young whippersnapper!"

I stared at him for a moment.

Then we both burst out laughing.

And was the end of that conversation.

XxX

As I pulled up on the curb opposite the large, grey, modest building, I turned to Jessie.

"You're absolutely sure you don't want to skip?"

"Absolutely," she said, giving her trademark smile.

I added puppy eyes for extra affect, but she just giggled, leaning over the gears to kiss me. I took her face gently in my hands and I started off by placing a chaste kiss on her soft lips but she opened her mouth just a fraction, and I couldn't help myself. Either way, we ended up making out for the next four minutes...

...until a sharp rapping from Jessie's window interrupted us.

It was Anna with a few others flanking her. She was watching us with her hands on her hips.

"Are you coming out, Jessie, or are you just gonna sit there swapping saliva with Collin all day?" called out the temperamental brunette, but I saw the wink she gave to Jessie. Predictably, Jessie blushed bright red. "I better go..."

"I'll pick you up at three," I confirm, giving her one last kiss before she left. I couldn't help but sigh as she walked closer to the school and further away from me – the pain in my gut was already kicking in.

I drive to the outskirts of Port Angeles – the old highway, bordered by forest. A grumbling Brady eventually emerged. There were a few reasons he was in this mood – that he was fully dressed (it'd taken me awhile but I finally persuaded him that it isn't a good idea to turn up for a job shirtless). But he was also complaining about--

"I really don't see why you could've given me a lift."

"But you like running as a wolf," I said pointedly.

"Yeah, but still. It's a mark of respect. You left me behind 'cos you don't want me to talk to your girlfriend. It's cos I'm an embarrassment, isn't it?"

"Brady..."

"You didn't even deny it! Now I'm just offended."

"Brady!"

"Whatever! Talk to the hand 'cos the face ain't listening!" he shoved his hand into my face.

"Dude! I don't want you within talking distance of my imprint because she is impressionable and you have a tendency to suggest threesomes!"

There was silence from the back seat as I drove out down the main highway.

"Is that an invitation?" he said teasingly. I groaned.

"Aw, come on, Coll. It's alright, I wouldn't want a threesome with you... swap you with Kaylie and maybe then--"

I burst out laughing. "I'll tell Seth you said that."

The pain of going only half an hour without Jessie was already reaching breaking point. But Brady was helping me, keeping me distracted – surprisingly, he was doing a good job, and I was able to focus on his words in stead of my thoughts about Jessie, some kilometres away, so fragile and breakable... the thought was like a steady throb in my head.

"So, have you actually picked out a job for us to sign up for?" came in Brady's voice. I threw him the paper that had been on the floor in front of me. "Start reading."

Brady eyed me sceptically. I explained, "I circled any which would be good for us, you know, hours and stuff. Most of it's labour."

"Hmmm," said Brady as he browsed through the wanted notices. "Are you sure you don't want something more permanent?"
"What do you mean?" I pulled the car onto a parking spot outside the park – it was pointless driving around until we actually knew where we were going.

"Well," said Brady, "Jessie's gonna be in school for another year or so, right? So we might as well pick something that we can stay on for the long term."

I stared at him.

"If that had come from anyone else, I would've called them wise."

Brady snorted. "Why is it you and Seth must mock me every time I say something smart? I'm a genius in reality. I just act dumb so I can lower myself to your level."

"Sure, sure," I replied dryly.

"How about this?" Brady pointed to a little box tucked away in the corner of the paper. It's something to do with construction. I recognise the company name – the firm is only a few streets away from here.

Wordlessly, I drive out onto the streets.

Next moment, I feel a WHACK as Brady's hand collides with the back of my head.

"Dude! What the hell?!" I yell, grabbing control of the wheel again as we nearly crash into a passing car.

"Didn't mean to hit that hard," sniggers Brady, "but seriously, relax. You're wound tighter than a forty-year-old virgin's---"

"Stop. Right. There," I cut in. Brady sighs.

"If anything happened to her, you'll be the first to know. Imprint bond. Trust your gut instinct. What's it saying now?"

"She's fine," I say quietly, almost to myself.

"Exactly. Clean up your act good and proper, Mr Meyers, we've got a job interview to go to."

XxX

The woman in reception sent us straight to a construction site. We were just general labourers, paid in cash, listening to all of the foreman's instructions. If we were good workers we'd be "promoted" into a contract with the company. It was a perfect deal – although at the time I wasn't paying attention during the explanations. Despite what Brady had said my mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Jessie.

After a few hours of moving around steel and wheelbarrow loads of bricks, we collected our pay. Brady's sense of humour happened to be in sync with the foreman's which, according to Brady, was a good thing.

"It's funny 'cos normally you're the teacher's pet," said Brady as I drove back out to the drop off point. I didn't reply. He jumped out of the car, and I knew he'd be in the forest and in his wolf form in just a few minutes. He left his shoes and shirt in the back, still grumbling about being "dumped."

Breaking all the speed limits to get back to the school, I arrived there exactly seven minutes too early – seven long, excruciating minutes knowing she was only metres away.

My hand was twitching Godamnit.

I started taking deep breaths, tempted to count the seconds away. So I started thinking instead.

Sam had been talking yesterday.

"You have to handle this situation very carefully," he'd said patronisingly.

"I know," I replied.

"It's not just her. All the other imprints have grown up around the pack members, or were at least familiar with the legends. Jessie's a whole new ball game. She's the only imprint so far – 'sides Ness – who's not from the rez."

"Sam, I know all that. But we've only been going out for a few months. I'm just taking it slow for now. Trust me, Sam, I've got her best interests at heart."

My mind is jolted back to reality as the long, wailing siren pierced the silence. Within minutes the carpark was packed full of cars – and people – trying to escape.

I stepped out of the car, leaning against the front door, my arms folded. I didn't miss the looks the giggling girls threw at me – as Brady had once said, "Werewolf genes are the best for scoring chicks!" But none of them compared to Jessie.

I spotted her amongst the rush, her platinum hair making her stand out of the crowd of brunettes like an angel standing out in a crowd of mortals.

I couldn't help but smile.

There was a moment when I tensed as she crossed the road, and I realised I was subconciously checking for oncoming cars. I was tempted to help her across the road, ready to throw myself into the path of an oncoming car to save her.

Nope.

Too intense.

She made it safely across and stood in front of me, smiling shyly.

"Hi."

"Hi," I leaned forward, kissing her gently on the mouth, then taking her bag off of her and opening the passenger door for her. She slid in, blushing, and I was grinning broadly and my mind had completely blanked out anything else.

I jumped into the car, carefully backing out and within minutes we were on the free way.

"So, how was your day?" I asked conversationally. She giggled, then said, "You sound like Christie, she says that everytime I come home from school."

I laughed. "You know, I love how you do that."

"Do what?" she asked, blushing furiously.

"Instead of answering the question, you start being all conventional," I said teasingly. Her blush darkened again and almost automatically I reached across, pressing my open palm to her cheek.

"I love it when you blush," I said fondly.

"You say that every time I blush, and I blush a lot," said Jessie pointedly with a smile. She reached up and pulled my hand off of her face - but then she interlocked her fingers with mine, holding my hand on her lap.

I couldn't help but smile.

And then you graduate

And take a look around, and you say, Hey, wait!

This is the same as where I just came from

I thought it was over

Aww, that's just great...

AN: Yeahhh, sort of seems like a filler, but it's just settin things up for the next chappy :)

LOVE AS ALWAYS to Brookieb1996, rachbehappy and everyone else who reviewed – thankyou so much! Special shout out to genies9 for your incessant poking... oO 3 The theme song: check it out if you haven't heard it, it's not really a theme song I just couldn't think of anything else haha

Sozzy for taking so long!!!!! I'm sittin on two-three chappys atm, its just a question of getting them onto the comp...

Homework and projects are absolutely awful, I'm procrastinating as we speak, hehe

Went to a writer's convention today, lots of fun! :P Garth Nix was there, one of my fave fantasy writers so that was sweet :) Cept all of the authors dissed twilight .

But its Ok. Me and Izzy figured it out. They're just jealous cos twilight's got international fame and fanatics of their books on this site writing fan fiction 24/7...

like me

;)

Lena xo