Chapter 9:
It was now Saturday a week after, and I hadn't heard from Embry since. What was even worse is that no one would let me see him, he was never home when I went to his house either. But his mother had told me he was all better now. I didn't understand. He was alright, but seemed to be avoiding me. Jacob hadn't helped in telling me how he was, he'd been busy with Bella that I didn't want to ruin their fun and interrupt with something that sounded bad. I didn't want to ask if Embry was avoiding Jake like he was me. I didn't understand. But I guess there was a lot of that going on now.
I still hadn't figured out what was going on with that girl or those wolves. Ever since, I hadn't been very good at staying out of the forest, I kept going in instead. Most people would never enter it again, they'd stay away, but my curiosity was getting the best of me. Guess it just added to my growing weirdness. I wasn't brave but it turned out I wasn't a coward either. It wasn't like I had experience in this so it confused me. Again, nothing new there.
I was sitting in the living room after work just staring at the wall while I was thinking about all this. I'd been very good the last few days, I only started thinking about it and dazing when no one else was around, that way no one could question me on it. I wasn't ready to tell anyone just yet, I needed answers first.
I was distracted from my thoughts by the phone going off. I sighed and got up to answer it.
"Hello?" I asked
"Lexi, good," Jacob said
"Did you know that a simple 'hey' is a nice way to greet someone?" I said, he chuckled on the other end
"Hey," he said, I looked at the clock
"What's up? Aren't you and Bella meant to be studying?" I questioned
"We're done."
"Huh. How's that going by the way?" I wondered. There was silence for a while and I could basically picture him blushing
"Good," he said casually
"That's boring." I confessed "So what's up?" I asked before he could argue.
"I need your help," he said, getting straight to the point
"With what?" I wondered confused
"The bikes." he said softly
"Why?"
"They're almost done."
"So?"
"So I want to get them finished by tomorrow, but I want it to be a surprise for Bella." he explained
"Oh… wow, they're almost done? Already? That was fast." I confessed. I didn't know you could pull apart and rebuild two motorcycles in a week. Then again Jake liked the challenge, spent every second on it and had both Bella and I there to help.
"Yeah, pretty cool huh," Jacob said "So will you come and help?"
"Sure, I'll be there in a tick." I promised
"Awesome." he said before I hung up the phone and headed towards the door, grabbing my car keys as I went. I locked the front door as no one else was home and jumped into the car.
I parked it outside Jake's house and walked around the house, not even bothering to see if anyone was home, I was positive that Jake was around the back.
I jumped into the garage to see I was right. He was working hard away on the red bike.
"You know, you can spend time on your own too." I said, he looked up and grinned at me "I mean, if you don't finish them both then you can't ride with her." I smirked
"Shut up and give me a hand would you." he ordered. I shrugged and pulled my hood off before doing so. We worked into the night before I forced Jacob out of the garage and into his house.
"If you want to ride on them you need to have a goods night sleep, or I'm not letting you on either of those bikes." I hissed at him in front of the door
"But…" he began
"I'll be back first thing in the morning, they should be done before 10, now calm down and go to sleep!" I ordered. He sighed, knowing he couldn't win an argument against me.
"Fine." he agreed before walking into the house. I walked back to my car and drove home.
"Alexis, you're back," my dad said when I walked inside
"Like every afternoon," I said, "Well, almost every afternoon." it was weird, ever since my forest walk dad had been saying that every time I came home, like he expected that one day I wont or something.
We ate dinner before I walked upstairs and completed some homework, seeing as tomorrow was going to be a day full of motorcycle riding.
I was awake at about six in the morning, I knew Jake would be out there first thing, which was probably like an hour ago, so I got ready and had left the house by six-thirty, writing a note to my parents telling them where I'd be today, well, I told them I was with Jake and Bella, but not where we were.
When I reached Jacob's house I was right about him already being at work
"You're here early," he noticed
"Promised I would be." I shrugged
"Can you hand me that gear?" He asked. I did so.
"So, you got any teaching methods?" I wondered
"Motorbikes aren't hard." he shrugged
"For you, you're teaching someone who's never been up to one close until now," I reminded him, he sighed
"It shouldn't be difficult."
"I agree, but you should still think about what you're going to do if it is."
"I thought hands on learning would be best," Jacob admitted
"As long as it doesn't get her killed,"
"Don't worry, we're not going on any busy roads." he assured me
"Where are we going?" I wondered, he smirked at me but didn't answer. I rolled my eyes at him.
It wasn't long before we finished the bikes, checking over them three times just to make sure everything was there and looking over the entire garage to make sure we didn't miss any pieces. When we were satisfied we shared a high five.
"Nice job." I complimented
"Thanks," Jake smiled "You didn't do to bad yourself." he admitted, putting an arm over my shoulders.
"Well, it wouldn't be done without me," I said before grinning. He rolled his eyes "Better let Bella know now." I reminded him
"Oh!" he remembered and was suddenly gone from the garage. I rolled me eyes and polished up the bikes before wheeling them, one after the other, towards the shrubbery and trees were they were concealed from the house, getting them ready to be loaded onto Bella's truck when she got here. Jacob came out with some ribbons as I we standing them up.
"You know, I could have done that." he said when he saw them clean and that I'd moved them.
"But you were busy," I shrugged. He smirked and tied a blue ribbon around each of the handle bars. We then went inside to collect a few things, Bella turned up at this point. We saw her pull the truck right near were the bikes were. Jacob headed out first before I followed
"Let's get this party started then shall we." I grinned. Bella nodded to me and Jacob loaded the bikes into the bed of the truck with ease, laying them carefully on their sides so they didn't show.
"Let's go," he said, his voice higher than usual with excitement. "I know the perfect spot — no one will catch us there."
We drove south out of town. The dirt road wove in and out of the forest — sometimes there was nothing but trees, and then there would suddenly be a breathtaking glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, reaching to the horizon, dark grey under the clouds. We were above the shore, on top of the cliffs that bordered the beach here and the view seemed to stretch on forever.
I wasn't the only one that was curious as to where we were headed, Bella was looking around too, she was driving slowly, so that she could safely stare out across the ocean now and then, as the road wound closer to the sea cliffs. It was a beautiful view and I couldn't help but smile when I saw it. Jacob was talking about finishing the bikes, but his descriptions were getting technical.
As I stared out across the view, I noticed four figures standing on a rocky ledge, much too close to the precipice. I knew immediately who three of them were, that wasn't difficult, it was the same three as always, but the fourth was a mystery to me. Despite the chill in the air today, they seemed to be wearing only shorts.
As I watched, the tallest person stepped closer to the brink. And then he threw himself off the edge.
"No!" Bella shouted, stomping down on the brake. I thrusted forwards in my seat at the sudden stop before looking at Bella surprised.
"What's wrong?" Jacob shouted back, alarmed.
"That guy — he just jumped off the cliff! Why didn't they stop him? We've got to call an
ambulance!" Bella threw open her door and started to get out, which made no sense at all. The fastest way to a phone was to drive back to Billy's.
I sat back realising she'd seen the guy jump too. Jacob started laughing. Bella spun to stare at him wildly.
"They're just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn't have a mall, you know." He was teasing, but there was a strange note of irritation in his voice.
"Cliff diving?" Bella repeated, dazed. She stared in disbelief as a second figure stepped to the edge, paused, and then very gracefully leaped into space. He fell for what seemed like an eternity before finally cutting smoothly into the dark grey waves below.
"Yeah, it's something LaPush kids do for fun," I explained as I looked from the cliff to her, leaning forwards to look at her around Jacob.
"Wow. It's so high." Bella slid back into her seat, still staring wide-eyed at the two remaining divers. "It must be a hundred feet."
"Well, yeah, most of us jump from lower down, that rock that juts out from the cliff about
halfway." He pointed out the window. "Those guys are insane. Probably showing off how tough they are. I mean, really, it's freezing today. That water can't feel good." He made a disgruntled face, as if the stunt personally offended him. It was strange seeing him upset, it didn't happen often.
"You jump off the cliff?" Bella asked surprised, noticing Jacob's choice of words, Jacob and I both nodded. We'd done it before. Not for a while though.
"Sure, sure." He shrugged and grinned. "It's fun. A little scary, kind of a rush."
"We've gotta entertain ourselves somehow," I admitted looking back out the window at the cliffs, where the third figure was pacing the edge.
"Jake, you have to take me cliff diving." Bella suddenly decided. I groaned at her, what with her recklessness lately? Jacob frowned back at her, his face disapproving.
"Bella, you just wanted to call an ambulance for Sam," he reminded her.
"I want to try." she insisted as she was starting to get out of the car again. Jacob grabbed her wrist.
"Not today, all right? Can we at least wait for a warmer day?" Bella looked back at the cliff before sighing.
"Okay, fine," she agreed. "But I want to go soon."
"Soon." Jake rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you're a little strange, Bella. Do you know that?"
"A little?" I smirked. She sighed.
"Yes."
"And we're not jumping off the top." Jacob said sternly. I turned and watched as the third boy made a running start and flung himself farther into the empty air than the other two. He twisted and cartwheeled through space as he fell, like he was skydiving. He looked absolutely free — unthinking and utterly irresponsible. I sighed and looked away.
"Fine," Bella agreed. "Not the first time, anyway." Now Jacob sighed.
"Are we going to try out the bikes or not?" he demanded.
"Okay, okay," Bella said, tearing her eyes away from the last person waiting on the cliff. Bella put her seat belt back on and closed the door. The engine was still running, roaring as it idled. We started down the road again.
"So who were those guys — the crazy ones?" Bella wondered after a few minutes. Jacob made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.
"The La Push gang."
"You have a gang?" Bella asked. She sounded impressed. Jacob laughed once at her reaction.
"Not like that. I swear, they're like hall monitors gone bad. They don't start fights, they keep the peace." He snorted. "There was this guy from up somewhere by the Makah rez, big guy too, scary-looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids, and Sam Uley and his disciples ran him off our land. They're all about our land, and tribe pride… It's getting ridiculous. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam." He shook his head, face full of resentment before he looked at me. I shrugged
"If they do they don't do it at my house." I confessed "Leah Clearwater said that they call themselves 'protectors' or something though." I remembered her telling me, I noticed Jacob's hands then, they were clenched into fists, as if he'd like to hit something. I looked at him concerned
"You don't like them very much." Bella noticed
"Does it show?" he asked sarcastically.
"Well… it doesn't sound like they're doing anything bad." she tried to soothe him, to make him cheerful again. "Just sort of annoyingly goody-two-shoes for a gang."
"Yeah. Annoying is a good word. They're always showing off — like the cliff thing. They act like… like, I don't know. Like tough guys. I was hanging out at the store with Embry and Quil once, last semester, and Sam came by with his followers, Jared and Paul. Quil said something, you know how he's got a big mouth, and it pissed Paul off. His eyes got all dark, and he sort of smiled — no, he showed his teeth but he didn't smile — and it was like he was so mad he was shaking or something. But Sam put his hand against Paul's chest and shook his head. Paul looked at him for a minute and calmed down. Honestly, it was like Sam was holding him back — like Paul was going to tear us up if Sam didn't stop him." He groaned. "Like a bad western. You know, Sam's a pretty big guy, he's twenty. But Paul's just sixteen, too, shorter than me and not as beefy as Quil. I think any one of us could take him."
"Tough guys," Bella agreed. "Isn't Sam a little too old for this kind of thing?"
"Yeah. He was supposed to go to college, but he stayed. And no one gave him any crap about it, either. The whole council pitched a fit when my sister turned down a partial scholarship and got married. But, oh no, Sam Uley can do no wrong." His face was set in unfamiliar lines of outrage. I remembered that, my dad wasn't impressed, he as one of the only ones of his generation to go to college, so the council was trying to encourage it now.
"It all sounds really annoying and… strange. But I don't get why you're taking it so personally." I was with Bella, I knew Sam was giving Jake looks but I didn't see where all this anger came from. He was suddenly calm, staring out the side window past me.
"You just missed the turn," he said in an even voice. Bella executed a very wide U-turn, nearly hitting a tree as her circle ran the truck halfway off the road.
"Thanks for the heads-up," she muttered as she started up the side road. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." It was quiet for a brief minute.
"You can stop anywhere along here," Jake said softly. Bella pulled over and cut the engine. We all got out, the silence still dawning, and Jacob headed around to the back to get the bikes. I walked around and stood next to him, reading his expression. Something more was bothering him. Before I couldn't get an idea on what it was, he smiled halfheartedly as he pushed the red bike to Bella's side.
"Happy late birthday. Are you ready for this?" he wondered
"I think so." Bella muttered
"We'll take it slow," he promised. Bella gingerly leaned the motorcycle against the truck's fender while Jake went to get his. I wasn't riding any of them, I wasn't going to be reckless like Bella seemed to be doing. It was a good thing because my mind was somewhere else anyway.
"Jake…" Bella said, snapping me out of my thoughts. She hesitated as he came back around the truck.
"Yeah?"
"What's really bothering you? About the Sam thing, I mean? Is there something else?" Bella watched his face. He grimaced, but he didn't seem angry. He looked at the dirt and kicked his shoe against the front tire of his bike again and again, like he was keeping time. He sighed.
"It's just… the way they treat me. It creeps me out." The words started to rush out now. "You know, the council is supposed to be made up of equals, but if there was a leader, it would be my dad. I've never been able to figure out why people treat him the way they do. Why his opinion counts the most. It's got something to do with his father and his father's father. My great-grandpa, Ephraim Black, was sort of the last chief we had, and they still listen to Billy, maybe because of that." he paused for a second "But I'm just like everyone else. Nobody treats me special… until now."
"Sam treats you special?" Bella asked surprised
"Yeah," he agreed, looking up at her with troubled eyes. "He looks at me like he's waiting for something… like I'm going to join his stupid gang someday. He pays more attention to me than any of the other guys. I hate it. And why me? Why doesn't he look at Lex like that, or James? Their dad's on the council too," Bella looked at me and I nodded, it was true, but I think Sam hardly even knows I exist.
I was a little surprised, I knew Sam had been giving Jacob weird looks, but seeing as I didn't go to school with him I didn't know they were treating him differently.
"You don't have to join anything." Bella's voice was angry.
"Yeah." His foot kept up its rhythm against the tire.
"What?" Bella and I chorused, we both shared a look, knowing there was more. He frowned, his eyebrows pulling up in a way that looked sad and worried rather than angry.
"It's Embry. He's been avoiding me lately." now I frowned and looked away, they both noticed
"You too?" Jacob asked, I nodded
"Just over a week ago I saw him on the beach, but since then, he's been avoiding me too," I confessed. "I was going to ask you about it, but you were busy."
"You've both been hanging out with me a lot," Bella reminded us
"No, that's not it. It's not just us — it's Quil, too, and everyone. Embry missed a few days of school, but he was never home when we tried to see him. And when he came back, he looked… he looked freaked out. Terrified. Quil and I both tried to get him to tell us what was wrong, but he wouldn't talk to either one of us." he turned to me and I shook my head
"He hasn't spoken to me." I assured him, Jake sighed and continued
"Then this week, out of nowhere, Embry's hanging out with Sam and the rest of them. He was out on the cliffs today." His voice was low and tense. My eyes widened
"That was Embry!" I couldn't help but say. He nodded to me before looking at Bella
"Bella, they bugged him even more than they bother me." I remembered how Embry had looked the last time I'd seen him, freaked. This must have been why "He didn't want anything to do with them. And now Embry's following Sam around like he's joined a cult. And that's the way it was with Paul. Just exactly the same. He wasn't friends with Sam at all. Then he stopped coming to school for a few weeks, and, when he came back, suddenly Sam owned him. I don't know what it means. I can't figure it out, and I feel like I have to, because Embry's my friend and… Sam's looking at me funny… and…" He trailed off.
"Have you talked to Billy about this?" Bella asked. Jacob looked angry now
"Yes," he snorted. "That was helpful."
"What did he say?" Bella demanded Jacob's expression was sarcastic, and when he spoke, his voice mocked the deep tones of his father's voice.
"It's nothing you need to worry about now, Jacob. In a few years, if you don't… well, I'll explain later." And then his voice was his own. "What am I supposed to get from that? Is he trying to say it's some stupid puberty, coming-of-age thing? This is something else. Something wrong."
"It didn't help when the council members were at my house either," I spoke, they looked at me. I sighed "When I last saw Embry, he was sick." I confessed "I don't know why, but for some reason I called Billy, and he told me to call my dad and that he and Harry were coming up. All of them were at my house within fifteen minutes. Then they asked me to do something, but I could still hear them whispering. They were talking about…" I thought, closing my eyes, trying to remember without including the wolf thing "They said something about a gene, and that his dad must have been Quileute, then something about telling Sam. Then they said they needed to get me out of the house, like Embry was dangerous or something." I explained
"What then?" Jacob wondered, listening intently. I shook my head
"I interrupted them, they told me he was just having growing pains or something." I shrugged "But Jake, you know me, and you know that I know when I'm being lied to, no matter who it is," I saw Bella's face grow worried from the corner of my eye "Jake, they were lying to me." I admitted
"What did you say?" Bella wondered
"I confronted them about it, we argued and then I left the house. By the time I got back my dad said Embry's mother had gotten him and that he was being cared for. But the same thing happened to me, he was never home when I went to visit though his mother told me he was all better." I took a deep breath "At first I didn't mind Sam, well until Jake told me he was giving him weird looks, but then, I don't know…" I muttered "There's something about them that puts me off." I confessed
"Like what?" Bella asked, I shrugged. Before sighing
"All I know is that Sam's the reason Embry's not talking to me. Us." I looked at Jacob, he was biting his lower lip and clenching his hands. He looked like he was about to cry.
Bella suddenly threw her arms around him, wrapping them around his waist and pressing her face against his chest.
"Oh, Jake, it'll be okay!" she promised. "If it gets worse you can come live with me and Charlie. Don't be scared, we'll think of something!" He was frozen for a second, and then his long arms wrapped hesitantly around Bella. I tried to hide my snickering
"Thanks, Bella." His voice was huskier than usual. I smirked
"That's a great idea, you can even move to school with us!" I laughed. Jacob smiled at me and I slowly took a few steps backwards before climbing up to sit on Bella's bonnet while they stayed in each others arms.
Thinking about what Jacob had said, I began to worry, Embry gave in and he wasn't exactly weak. Not only that but the Embry I knew, wasn't the one I saw on the cliff. His hair was all cut off, his muscles were bigger and he was walking around half naked. That wasn't the Embry I knew. I looked up when I heard Jacob's laughter. I smiled at him and he smiled back, but didn't move from Bella's embrace. I guess now I felt like a third wheel but I wasn't gonna stop it. They were good for one another after all. Bella pulled away then, laughing with him,
"It's hard to believe I'm two years older than you," she said, emphasising the word older. "You make me feel like a dwarf." Standing that close to him, she really had to crane her neck to see his face.
"You're forgetting I'm in my forties, of course." Jacob smirked
"Oh, that's right." Bella smiled.
"Damn it, I was the oldest," I whined, earning a smile from them both. Jacob patted Bella's head. "You're like a little doll," he teased her. "A porcelain doll." Bella rolled her eyes, taking another step away.
"Let's not start with the albino cracks."
"Seriously, Bella, are you sure you're not?" He stretched his russet arm out next to Bella'. The difference wasn't flattering. "I've never seen anyone paler than you... well, except for —" I immediately held up my arms in the sign of an X and shook my head at him. He saw me and broke off his sentence, but Bella still looked away, trying to not understand what he had been about to say.
"So are we going to ride or what?" he asked distracting her.
"Let's do it," she agreed, more enthusiastic than she seemed to have been half a minute ago. They pushed the bikes away from the truck while I sat on the roof for a good view and Bella sat in the seat of her bike. Jacob started pointing out parts of the bike and telling her the important stuff. Every time he started getting a bit to technical I'd call his name and he'd apologise before returning to helping her.
It took Bella about ten minutes to memorise where they were before Jacob went over it again, this time asking her, not telling her.
"Okay, where's your clutch?" Jacob asked. Bella pointed to the lever on her left handlebar. Letting go of the grip was a mistake. The heavy bike wobbled underneath her, threatening to knock her sidewise. I clenched my teeth while watching as Bella grabbed the handle again, trying to hold it straight.
"Jacob, it won't stay up" she complained.
"It will when you're moving," he promised. "Now where's your brake?"
"Behind my right foot."
"Wrong." Jacob grabbed her right hand and curled her fingers around the lever over the throttle.
"But you said —" Bella began
"This is the brake you want. Don't use the back brake now, that's for later, when you know what you're doing." Jacob interrupted her
"That doesn't sound right," Bella said suspiciously. "Aren't both brakes kind of important?"
"Forget the back brake, okay? Here —" Jacob wrapped his hand around Bella's and made her squeeze the lever down. "That is how you brake. Don't forget." He squeezed her hand another time.
"Fine," she agreed.
"Throttle?" she twisted the right grip.
"Gearshift?" she nudged it with her left calf.
"Very good. I think you've got all the parts down. Now you just have to get it moving." Jacob grinned
"Uh-huh," Bella muttered, she sounded like she was afraid to say more. She stared down the long stretch of dirt road, bordered by thick misty green on every side. The road was sandy and damp. Better than mud.
"I want you to hold down the clutch," Jacob instructed. I got up from my seat and crouched down on the bonnet of the truck. She wrapped her fingers around the clutch.
"Now this is crucial, Bella," Jacob stressed. "Don't let go of that, okay? I want you to pretend that I've handed you a live grenade. The pin is out and you are holding down the spoon." I saw Bella's knuckles turn white as she squeezed tighter.
"Good. Do you think you can kick-start it?"
"If I move my foot, I will fall over," Bella told him through gritted teeth, her fingers tight around her live grenade.
"Okay, I'll do it. Don't let go of the clutch." He took a step back, and then suddenly slammed his foot down on the pedal. There was a short ripping noise, and the force of his thrust rocked the bike. Bella started to fall sideways, but Jake caught the bike before it knocked her to the ground. I could feel myself worrying for her
"Steady there," he encouraged. "Do you still have the clutch?"
"Yes," she gasped.
"Plant your feet — I'm going to try again." But he put his hand on the back of the seat, too, just to be safe. It took four more kicks before the ignition caught. Bella gripped the clutch as the bike rumbling beneath her like an angry animal.
"Try out the throttle," he suggested. "Very lightly. And don't let go of the clutch." Hesitantly, Bella twisted the right handle. Though the movement was tiny, the bike snarled beneath her. It sounded angry and hungry now. Jacob smiled in deep satisfaction.
"Do you remember how to put it into first gear?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Well, go ahead and do it."
"Okay." He waited for a few seconds, but she didn't move. "Left foot," he prompted.
"I know," she said, taking a deep breath.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jacob asked. "You look scared."
"I'm fine," Bella snapped. She kicked the gearshift down one notch.
"Very good," he praised her. "Now, very gently, ease up on the clutch." He took a step away from the bike.
"You want me to let go of the grenade?" Bella asked in disbelief. No wonder he was moving back.
"That's how you move, Bella. Just do it little by little." I couldn't stand to be so far back so I jumped off of the truck, my gymnast skills allowing me to land easily, before walking up to Jake, watching Bella. Bella began to release the clutch before she suddenly gasped.
"Oh!" and her hand fell off the bike bucked under her, yanking her forward and then collapsing to the ground half on top of Bella. The growling engine choked to a stop.
"Bella?" Jacob jerked the heavy bike off her with ease. I took the handle bars from him and held it up straight "Are you hurt?" Jacob asked, but she didn't seem to be listening.
"I'm fine," she mumbled after a few second, dazed. Jacob was pulling Bella to her feet and I examined her, she did look fine.
"Did you hit your head?" Jacob asked, looking at me for a quick second.
"I don't think so." Bella shook it back and forth, checking. "I didn't hurt the bike, did I?" This thought seemed to seriously worry her. I noticed in her expression that she was anxious to try again, right away.
"No. You just stalled the engine," Jacob said "You let go of the clutch too fast." Bella nodded.
"Let's try again."
"Are you sure?" Jacob asked he looked at me but I hardly noticed, I was watching Bella, something was off.
"Positive." This time Bella tried to get the kick-start herself and every time she did that, the bike tried to knock her over. Jacob's hand hovered over the handlebars, ready to catch her if she needed him.
It took several good tries, and even more poor tries, before the engine caught and roared to life under her. Remembering to hold on to the grenade, Bella revved the throttle experimentally. It snarled at the slightest touch. Bella's smile mirrored Jacob's now. I wasn't as excited, I had a feeling I hadn't felt in a while, the worried feeling I got when Edward was about to leave, though this time it wasn't as big, just a little feeling, but it bothered me.
"Easy on the clutch," Jacob reminded Bella. Bella smiled tightly "Ease off slowly," Jacob encouraged her.
"I will," she said, but there was something about her response…
Bella focused this time and relaxed her hand by tiny degrees. Suddenly, the gear caught and wrenched her forward. The bike zoomed off and Jake and I watched her, Jacob was smiling happily, I wasn't feeling what he was. We watched as she twisted for more gas.
"Jake, I don't like this," I said
"What?" he asked
"Get your bike," I muttered as I watched Bella approach the corner. I saw Jacob look at me strangely from the corner as Bella suddenly slammed down with her right foot, hitting the wrong brake.
"Jacob!" I ordered turning to him, he saw the seriousness in my face and did as I ordered. I turned back to Bella in time to see the bike shivering first to one side and then the other with Bella on top. It was dragging her toward the trees on the side of the road, and she was going too fast. The bike suddenly pushed towards the ground, still spinning towards the trees as Bella tried to turn. I could only just hear Jacob's muttering as he got his own bike going.
The motorcycle landed on top of Bella, pulling her across the wet sand until it hit a small boulder.
"Bella!" Jacob yelled. I jumped on Jake's bike behind him and he raced off after Bells. I jumped off before he'd fully stopped and ran to her. Jacob pulled the bike off of her and turned it off before pushed it away while I rolled Bella over onto her back. Jacob was by my side again in an instant.
"Wow," she murmured.
"Bella!" Jacob was crouching over her anxiously. "Bella, are you alive?"
"She's breathing Jake, calm down." I assured him "Shit," I muttered, noticing her head was bleeding.
"I'm great!" she enthused. She flexed her arms and legs as if testing. Everything seemed to be working correctly. "Let's do it again."
"Are you insane?" I accused her harshly
"I don't think so." Jacob said worried, agreeing with me. "I think I'd better drive you to the hospital first."
"I'm fine." Bella thought
"Um, Bella? You've got a huge cut on your forehead, and it's gushing blood," he informed her.
"Trust you not to notice," I sighed, she seemed like herself and other than the cut, seemed fine. Bella clapped her hand over her head, feeling the wet, sticky, blood.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jacob." Bella pushed hard against the gash.
"Why are you apologising for bleeding?" he wondered as he wrapped a long arm around her waist and pulled Bella to her feet.
"It's not like it was your fault," I assured her
"Let's go. I'll drive." Jacob decided as he held out his hand for the keys.
"What about the bikes?" Bella asked, handing them over. Jacob thought for a second.
"Wait here. And take this." He ordered as he pulled off his T-shirt, already spotted with blood, and threw it to Bella. It was hard not to notice all his muscles then, I caught myself staring after a second before I turned my head back to Bella. She wadded the shirt up and held it tightly to her forehead.
"You sure you're alright?" I asked, Bella nodded "You hit the wrong brake." I informed her, she looked at me "You were meant to use the hand brake." I smiled. She sighed
"Sorry,"
"It was your first time," I reminded her. Jacob jumped on the black motorcycle, kicked it to a start in one try, and raced back down the road, spraying sand and pebbles behind him. He looked athletic and professional as he leaned over the handlebars, head low, face forward, his shiny hair whipping against the russet skin of his back. Bella's eyes narrowed enviously.
"I didn't look like that, did I?" she wondered
"Well considering you wouldn't ride around without a shirt on…" I began, she nudged me and I chuckled "No, unfortunately you didn't, but remember Jake's had lots of practice"
"Have you ever ridden one?" Bella asked me
"Yeah, a few times, but not in a while." I confessed, not all the happy about it. She sighed. I looked back after Jacob, Bella had gone so far that you could hardly see Jake as he reached the car and threw the motorcycle into the back before he sprinted to the driver's side. He coaxed Bella's truck to a deafening roar in his hurry to get back to us. Jacob left the truck running as he raced back to Bella's side, wrapping his arm around her waist again.
"Okay, let's get you in the truck." he ordered
"I'm honestly fine," Bella assured him as he helped her in. Bella sat on the side against the window while I sat in the middle. "Don't get worked up. It's just a little blood."
"Just a lot of blood," he muttered in disagreement as he went back for Bella's bike.
"Don't blame him too much for worrying, motorcycle accidents aren't exactly harmless," I reminded her
"You're not freaking out." Bella noticed
"I'm keeping it inside, I'm worried there's a lot of blood but I also know how stubborn you are, plus worrying wont get us anywhere." I explained as Jacob got back into the car.
"I'm taking you to the hospital," he decided
"Now, let's think about this for a second," Bella began "If you take me to the ER like this, Charlie is sure to hear about it." she glanced down at the sand and dirt caked into her jeans.
"Bella, I think you need stitches. I'm not going to let you bleed to death." Jacob said worried
"I won't," Bella promised. "Let's just take the bikes back first, and then we'll make a stop at my house so I can dispose of the evidence before we go to the hospital."
"What about Charlie?"
"He said he had to work today."
"Are you really sure?"
"Trust me. I'm an easy bleeder. It's not nearly as dire as it looks."
"Deep breath Jake, we don't need something happening to you too," I said to him "There's no way I'd be able to lift you." I smirked. He seemed to take a deep breath as I instructed but he kept glancing at Bella. He wasn't happy — his full mouth turned down in an uncharacteristic frown — but he didn't want to get Bella in trouble.
We sat in silence as he drove, Bella was staring out the window, holding Jake's shirt to her head. I was trying to put my finger on something, Bella was fine, until she suddenly got distracted, she seemed to eager, eager for danger, for stupidity. I sighed an shook my head.
"You still okay?" Jacob checked not to long later
"Yeah." Bella didn't sound that convincing
"By the way," he added. "I'm going to disconnect your foot brake tonight." I smirked
"Maybe you should have done that before she got on," I suggested. We dropped the bikes off first, quickly getting them into Jacob's garage while we made Bella wait in the car before driving to her house. I helped her get the mud and dirt out of her hair before leaving her be to get changed.
"How does she look?" Jacob asked worried
"Calm down, she's fine." I assured him
"But…"
"Jake," I said "You're worrying her by freaking out so much, this is Bella, it's not the first time she's cut herself you know."
"We need to get her stitched up though," he reminded me
"And we will," I nodded. Unfortunately Jacob's impatience was thin enough
"Hurry up," he called. I shook my head.
"Okay, okay," Bella shouted back. Before she came down the stairs.
"How do I look?" she asked us.
"Better," Jacob admitted.
"But do I look like I tripped in your garage and hit my head on a hammer?" she asked, I smirked
"Sure, I guess so." Jacob muttered
"Let's go then." Bella decided
"That's a good one," I complimented her
"I've had a lot of practice." she admitted, I rolled my eyes at her. Jacob hurried Bella and me out the door, and insisted on driving again. We were halfway to the hospital before Bella spoke. She frowned guiltily.
"We should have grabbed you a jacket." I looked at Jake and realised what she meant, he was still shirtless.
"That would have given us away," he teased. "Besides, it's not cold."
"Are you kidding?" Bella shivered and reached out to turn the heat on. I looked at her a little confused, I didn't feel cold either.
"What?" Jacob suddenly asked. I looked at him to see he looked self-conscious. It didn't take me more than two seconds to realise why, Bella was idolising him, looking at his muscles.
"Nothing. I just hadn't realised before. Did you know, you're sort of beautiful?" Bella complimented. I smirked and looked at Jake to expect him to be blushing, but he didn't, he just rolled his eyes.
"You hit your head pretty hard, didn't you?"
"I'm serious." Bella said
"Well, then, thanks. Sort of." Jacob said awkwardly. Bella grinned.
"You're sort of welcome." I looked at Jake over Bella's head, he glanced at me and blushed when he saw my smile.
Bella had to have seven stitches to close the cut on her forehead. Jacob held her hand while Dr. Snow was sewing, I couldn't help but notice how ironic that was.
We were at the hospital forever. By the time Bella was done, she had to drop Jacob and I off at his home. She tried to drive me too but I had to remind her that my car was at Jake's. We waved goodbye until the truck was out of sight.
"Jeez," Jacob let out a sigh
"You know I swear you were much more worried than she was." I confessed
"I don't understand how she was so calm," Jacob muttered
"She's had worse injuries remember." I said, he sighed
"I know,"
"Other than that today wasn't half bad," I confessed "Did you have fun?" I teased, he rolled just eyes
"You're just as bad as Quil and Embry."
"Well, I better be, we did grow up together remember." I smirked. He frowned
"Do you know what's going on?" he asked
"I wish," I muttered. And that ended that conversation.