I hung loosely over Paul's shoulder while he ran. I kept jumping up and down every time he skipped over roots or rocks. I desperately tried not to hit anything and I tried not to feel sick. Jared was trailing behind us.

"Paul, there's no way that we can beat him to the Clearwater's house like this!" Jared shouted, stopping in his tracks.

Paul stopped, and I huffed as the sudden halt made me feel light headed. Paul turned around to face Jared, with me still slung over his shoulder.

"What the fuck do you think we should do, then?" Paul challenged.

"Would it really be that bad if he found out?" I asked. Paul finally set me down on my feet, and the blood finally drained from my head and started to circulate properly. "We can't hide this forever."

Paul took my hand in his. "I know. I'd like to tell him. But I don't think we should tell him while we both smell like we had wild sex, babe."

I sighed internally. God, sometimes these heightened senses are a fucking pain in the ass. I mean, it's one thing that they can practically hear everything from a five mile radius, but their smelling? That's sort of disgusting. That, and I can't even bake cookies without the entire pack pounding at my door!

Jared stepped between us, his expression soft but I can see the change in colour in his eyes. "You have to get Bella back to Leah's house. I'll do my best to buy you guys some time."

Paul nodded, and Jared took off.

I looked up at Paul. "What do you think he's going to do?"

Paul smirked. "What Jared does best. Having my back."

I smiled at the answer. True friends is what they are. Everyone wished to have a friendship like theirs.

Without warning, Paul swung me on his back, piggy back style. I wrapped my arms around his neck and secured my legs around his waist, then he was off. After a few moments, we were at the tree line right in front of the Clearwaters. I hopped off of Paul's back. He stood still, listening.

"I don't hear or smell Seth around. I think we should be safe. When you get in there, jump in the shower and wash yourself well."

I nodded, watching him. His protectiveness was turning me on. Whenever his inner wolf came out, I couldn't help but bite down on my lip. Realizing that I was staring for too long, I turned on my heels and headed towards the house. Paul pulled me back, surprising me with a kiss. He pulled away, too abruptly.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He whispered, and then he was gone.

I licked my lips as I watched him disappear into the forest. I ran into the empty house and made my way to the bathroom. Once I was in there, I locked the doors and immediately started stripping. I hopped into the shower and scrubbed every inch of myself, making sure I smelt like soap instead of Paul.

I closed my eyes as I rinsed off, letting my mind wander for a few minutes. I mean, I'm actually dating Paul. Paul - the lady's man. Paul - the tantrum thrower. Paul - the asshole. But I could overlook all of that because he's sweet, loving, and sexy as hell.

I know that tomorrow we'll have to talk about confessing our relationship to the pack. I'm hoping that they'll understand like Jared and Leah. But I know for sure that there will be people against it. No matter what, I know that Paul is right for me. I can feel it. He doesn't baby me, he doesn't push me to be someone I'm not, and he cares about what I think.

Suddenly, the bathroom door flew open and I immediately went to cover my boobs. Standing there, was Leah.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" I shouted, staring at her through the foggy glass door.

"Oh stop covering yourself, Swan! We both have the same anatomy." She said, mocking me.

"It doesn't mean you can walk in on me!"

She smiled, throwing me a towel. I turned off the water and wrapped myself. "Why are you in here anyway?"

"You know me, I'm impatient. I know you both didn't just go out for a walk. I want the dirt!" She exclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Of course you do, gossip girl."

"Hey, I'm putting my ass on the line so the least you can do is tell me what's up!" She reasoned.

"Okay, okay, you're right." I nodded. "I'll tell you everything...right after I talk to Jacob."

There was a knock on the front door, loud enough for both of us to hear.

"How'd you know it was him?" She asked.

"Jared said so." I whispered, lowly. Leah's eyes widened. "Yeah, he knows, too."

Before she could respond, Jacob knocked again, loudly. Leah sighed and ran down to the door. I followed her, still wrapped in a towel. Leah swung the door open and I snorted once I saw a big, wet Jacob frowning at the threshold.

"What..."

"Jared and Quil." Jacob hissed, pushing past Leah. I held in my laughter. Jared sure did keep his word.

"What did they do to you? Do you need a towel or something?" I offered.

Jacob glanced at me. "Nah, I'm good."

Leah left the room, probably to get a towel anyway. Jacob sat on the steps outside, and I went to join him...despite still being in a towel.

"Jared and Quil came out of nowhere and started chanting. Then they picked me up and threw me in the ocean." Jacob shook his head. "The assholes."

I looked away, hiding my smile. I had to pull myself together. "You know Jared and Quil. They never take anything seriously, but that's why they're fun to be around."

Jacob sighed. "Yeah, but sometimes I wished that they took things seriously because one day, they might get hurt. Or worse."

I nodded. "You have a point. But they do get serious when it's time to get serious."

"Yeah, I guess."

I smacked his arm, a playful smile on my face. "Come on, Black, loosen up a little." He cocked his head to the side. I knew what he was thinking; since when did this uptight, little, goody two shoes become such a slacker? If only he knew. "Remember that you turn into an oversized hair ball and you kick ass. And right now, if you had a rock up your ass, it'd be a diamond by now."

He frowned, observing me. "What the hell's gotten into you?"

I frowned back. "You really want to know?" He only nodded. I jumped to my feet. "Life! That's what happened. I'm always letting the bad times weigh me down and it's about time I do something about that! I want to be happy, Jake, and that's what I'm trying to do. That's what we're going to do."

Jacob half-smiled. "And how are we gonna do that?"

I smiled slyly. "Do you trust me, Jake?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Hopefully I can get him to loosen up, and maybe he won't hate me after I tell him that Paul and I are together.

"Always, Bella." He confirmed. He got up.

"What are we doing, kiddos?" Leah queried, butting in.

"We're going to stir up some trouble. Wanna come?" I invited.

"Did someone say trouble?" A familiar voice called out, and I looked over to the tree line to see Jared and Quil, both with huge smiles on their faces.

"Oh, I love trouble." I didn't even have to turn around to know who said it. But when I did, I was met with big, brown eyes that belonged to my boyfriend.

Oh yeah, tonight's definitely going to be trouble.

Beta/Editor: Moriarty's Diary