Two chapters in one day? This is crazy for me, but here it is(:

Chapter 11 - Bound or Rebound?

Sunday July 13th

Elyse POV

Last night, I was awoken by the cry of a wolf that was too close to ignore. I sat up in bed and peered behind the curtain out the window. There he was, the wolf I've seen three times now. Only this time, he wasn't alone. Another wolf, this one jet black, nearly blending in with the dark scenery, is standing at my wolf's side. The black one seems to nudge the russet-colored wolf, before stalking off into the woods, followed by the other closely. I snuggled back into the warm bed and fell back to sleep, my dreams filled with giant wolves, but not the one I was looking for.

In the morning, I was relieved because I didn't have to get up early for church. The tag sale hours cut into church, so Gramma told me in advance we wouldn't be able to make it. Darn, I was soo looking forward to it...I wasn't in as good of a mood as yesterday morning either. Three guesses why? Although, honestly, I should be happier since we counted our total sales from yesterday and we've already made two thousand. It should be a piece of cake to get another thousand dollars today. Right?

It was a slower morning that yesterday, and I was worried no one would come, but around ten people started stopping more and more frequently. Zooey showed up at noon, and Grams and I were thankful for her help. The remaining four hours, as posted on our fliers, went by pretty quickly. The whole garage was cleared out, and most of everything else too. The money box was full, and I was grinning at Grams like a mad-woman when we went inside to count the money. We split up the stacks into three piles, and each counted one out, double-checking to make sure the amount was accurate.

"I don't believe it," Grams breathed after we finished adding up the total. "I just...don't...believe it."

We made $3,456!

"I told you we'd do it," I tell Grams smugly.

She pinches my cheeks, pulling me in to smack a kiss on one of them. "Well aren't I glad to have a smartass like you for a granddaughter?"

"You should be," I tease, sticking out my tongue for a brief moment.

Zooey laughs at us, commenting, "I'm so happy for you!"

I remind Gramma we'll have to write a check for the bank, and she has to remember to bring it tomorrow or they won't grant the extension. Gramma thanks me and Zooey for our help, handing us each $50. We refuse, but Gramma won't take it back. She suggests we help her clean up, and then drive to Port Angeles to see a movie. I ask her if she'd like to join us, but she says she's too tired. I won't argue with her on that. I'm pretty tired myself.

After everything is cleaned up, tables folded, boxes emptied, and trash bagged, Zooey and I plop down on the couch. "What movie do you want to see?" Zooey asks as she scans the screen of her smart phone, looking at movie listings.

"Um..." I hum thoughtfully. "How about something funny?"

"Okay," Zooey murmurs. She reads off the name of some movie or other, and I agree. After settling on the movie, she puts her phone down and looks at me with serious blue eyes. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yeah, why not?" I ask with a shrug.

"Because you were supposed to go have dinner with Jacob," Zooey points out. I explained to her about what occurred yesterday, needing to talk to a girl friend about it since Ava hadn't answered her phone. It was a relief to be able to just talk it out with someone other than Grams.

I was trying to forget. "I haven't even talked to him since yesterday. And it's not like he even asked his dad if it was all right; his dad didn't even know about me. I don't know what else there is to say."

"Why don't you call him?" Zooey suggests.

I shake my head, "I can't. I don't want to be the one to chase him down after what he did. He lied to me. I don't see the point. Tomorrow, I'll be home, and he'll find some other girl to charm the pants off." After I realize what I just said, I assure Zooey, "Not that he literally charmed my pants off. We definitely didn't go that far."

Zooey giggles, "That's good. You'd probably be more upset right now if you had."

"Definitely." I agree. "Do you want to go now? We should stop and grab some food on the way. I'm starving."

"Let's go," Zooey hops up from the couch and pulls her car keys from her sweatshirt pocket.

During the movie, I feel like my cell phone is buzzing in my pocket every two seconds. I don't want to disturb everyone in the theater though, so I do the polite thing and turn it off. When we get out of the theater, I ask Zooey to wait with me while I listen to the three voicemail messages I received. The first is from Jacob, asking me to call him back so we can talk. The second message is from Dad, telling me he's sorry, but something came up and he's stuck in San Diego; he cancelled my flight tomorrow. The third message is also from Jacob, sounding desperate, apologizing for lying and stating he has something important to tell me and to please let him see me before I go home.

"Are you going to call him back?" Zooey asks, poking my shoulder repeatedly. She bounces up and down like an annoying child, chanting, "Are ya? Are ya? Are ya?"

"I will," I share, "But since I'm not going home yet, I'm going to let him panic for a little bit longer."

Zooey chuckles and jokes, "You're so mean."

"If he hadn't lied in the first place we would've been having dinner at his place right now," I remind Zooey. "So I think him worrying for another hour that he may never see me again isn't mean...much." I laugh too.

Back in Forks, Zooey drops me off and says goodnight, since it's after nine and she has to work the breakfast shift tomorrow at the diner. I run inside and surprise Grams with a hug. I tell her I'm not going home yet, and she says that is good news, and she's glad to have me for as long as I want to stay. She asks what changed? Why did Dad cancel my flight? I explain that, as usual, I know nothing. Dad is starting to make a bad habit of keeping me in the dark. Gramma retires to bed, since she still has to get up early and drop the check off to the bank before going to work at the library. I offer to bring the check to the bank for her, but she'd rather do it herself. Probably doesn't trust me with a three thousand dollar signed check. Ha. Ha. Probably a good idea. I would feel awful if I lost it.

Once Grams is in bed, I pull out my phone to call Jake. My hand feels clammy from nerves. I don't know why I'm so nervous. He's the one who should be nervous. He has a lot of explaining to do.

Coincidentally, just as my finger is hovering over the Send button on my phone, it starts to ring, and Jacob's name flashes across the screen. I wipe my sweaty palm on the pant leg of my jeans before I pick up.

"Hey," I greet casually.

"Hey Elyse," He returns, sounding relieved I picked up this time.

I give him an explanation, even though he doesn't really deserve one. "I was at a movie with Zooey before, so I had to turn my phone off."

"That's okay," Jake replies. "I know you're mad at me, and I really don't blame you. I understand that you don't want to see me before you go."

I could let him continue, but we have other things to talk about, and I really do want to know what's going on in his life that made him lie to me and his family and friends. "I'm not actually going home tomorrow anymore. My dad cancelled my flight. He's staying in San Diego for a little bit longer."

"Really?" Jake asks hopefully.

"Really really," I repeat. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Are you going to bed soon?" He asks, completely off topic.

"Probably not," I respond slowly, "Why?"

"Can I come over and talk to you? I'd rather tell you in person..." Jake asks sincerely. "But if you don't want to see me, again, I get it."

"I never said I don't want to see you, Jake," I inform him, "I just wanted you to go home and straighten things out with your dad. You never called or anything yesterday, so I didn't know what to think."

"My dad and I talked; we're fine," Jake says, "And he'll be happy to hear you're staying for a few more days so maybe he can get a chance to meet you?"

"Maybe he will," I suppose, "I guess you can come over, if you want. Grams just went to bed though, so we have to be quiet. I don't want to wake her up."

"Thank you, Elyse," Jake sounds like he lets out a sigh of relief. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

It's a warm night, so I decide to sit outside on the front porch and wait for Jacob on the porch swing. It is peaceful to look up at the stars, so clear here in Forks, Washington, and listen to the crickets and the quiet. Wow, when did I learn to appreciate silence? I send a text to Ava, asking her if she heard the news from Gavin that I won't actually be home tomorrow. The phone starts to ring.

"Hey Ava."

"What do you mean you're not coming home?" Ava asks in a loud whisper.

"Why are you whispering?" I wonder, and then reply, "My dad is still in San Diego, so he cancelled my flight."

"What?" Ava hisses. "What? What? What?!"

"Why are you freaking out? I'll be home in a few days. I'm sorry, it wasn't up to me," I tell Ava quickly.

"That's total bullshit, Lys, I'm not kidding," Ava sounds wicked pissed off now. Suddenly, I have to pull the phone away from my ear because she's shouting, "Dad! Dad! Come here!" She lowers her voice and says so fast I can barely understand her, "Something's going on, Lys. Our dads are lying. They said you'd be home in a few hours. They lied to me. And they lied to you. Your dad is here! And supposedly you're on your way to go to this dumb camping trip, and you're not even coming?!" Gavin must have entered the room, because Ava isn't making sense again, "What is going on? I want to know, now!"

I hear Gavin question Ava sternly, "Who is on the phone, Avalon?"

"My best friend," Ava supplies defiantly. There's silence for a long moment, and then the call ends.

What the Hell was that about?

I try calling back, but it goes straight to voicemail.

Is Ava crazy, or is she telling me the truth? Is Dad really home? Did he really lie to me?

I call Dad's cell; funny, it's off too.

Why would he lie about that? Why is he keeping me from going home?

I contemplate every possible scenario in my mind, but nothing makes sense. Nothing explains why my father would lie to me and purposely keep me in Forks when before, when Mom was alive, he would have done anything to keep me away from this place. Then again, why would Ava lie to me? She obviously believes what she's saying is true, so could maybe she be misinformed? Why aren't they answering their phones?

I'm so distracted, I don't even notice when Jake's car pulls into the driveway. It's not until he gets out and the door slams shut that I look over in surprise. He's wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt, and looking handsome as ever. How is anyone supposed to be mad at someone who's so friggin' cute?

"That's your car?" I comment with a little laugh. It looks too small for him.

"Hey, don't hate," Jake says with a smirk. He joins me on the porch swing, and I wait for him to tell me whatever it is that's so important. He clears his throat and tells me, "My dad wanted me to thank you for him. Although I was planning on going home this weekend, I just...hadn't gotten around to it." He scratches his head and awkwardly averts his eyes to the sky. "I still don't really know what to say, so I guess I'll tell you what I think you should know. And if I..." He appears to be thinking very hard about what he's saying, "leave something out it's because I can't answer it yet. Is that fair?"

"I guess so..." I agree after slight hesitation.

"About a year and a half ago, an old friend of mine moved back to Forks. I hadn't seen her in a long, long time, and she barely remembered me. But I remembered her." I can tell from the way Jake is talking about this girl that he clearly has or had feelings for her. She's not just a girl, but someone special. It's obvious by the expression on his face.

"You don't have to tell me this," I interject.

He shushes me and continues, "I have to tell you to explain why I left. Anyways, I was glad she was back. I'll admit, I liked her, and I thought she liked me too, but it turns out she was using me to find out information about the guy she really was interested in. I didn't, and still don't, think he's good for her, but she wouldn't listen to me. She was," he rolls his eyes, "'in love'. When he broke her heart and left her for half the school year last year, I was there for her. But it wasn't enough, I wasn't enough, because when he came back, she was his again. She is addicted to him, and-" Jake cuts himself off. He takes a deep breath before starting over, "Well, the day I met you, in the woods? That morning I got an invitation to their wedding. I lost it. I had to get away from this place for a while."

I feel bad for Jake; to love a girl who chooses someone else. I know he didn't say he loved her, but he didn't have to. I can tell he did...or maybe still does? I can't help the pang of jealousy at the thought that Jake could love another girl when I thought we had the start of something special. But I can't blame him, really, can I? He didn't know me then, and he can't change how he feels.

"You didn't really go too far," I comment lamely, after racking my brain for something to say that didn't seem pathetic.

"Because I met you," Jake replies simply.

I stare at him questioningly. "What is that supposed to mean?" What am I? Some rebound girl? Someone to help him prove he's still got game? Or that he's good looking? Or a good kisser?

"You're special, Elyse," He explains, "You said the same thing about me. I wanted to leave, but after I met you, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I had to see you again. Every time I see you, I like you more and more. I didn't want to go home because I couldn't face all that other stuff. I just wanted to see you."

"I..." I laugh nervously, "don't know whether that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me, or the creepiest." I pause to mull it over. "I think I'll go with sweetest though. Because I feel the same way when I'm with you." I smile at Jake shyly. "I don't think that makes running away from home any less of a bad idea though. Don't do that again, okay?" I cross my arms over my chest and give him an 'I mean it' look.

"Wow," Jake laughs, "My dad said the same exact thing. But okay, I promise." Jake holds open his arms and pouts like he's asking for a hug. "So...still mad at me?"

I suck in my bottom lip before leaning into him and mumbling, "No," against the soft cotton fabric of his t-shirt. I wrap my arms around his waist and lean my head against his chest, faintly hearing his heartbeat drumming in my ear.

He adjusts his hold so we're both sitting more comfortably, but keeps his arms around my shoulders. "I still want you to come for dinner before you go home. I want you to meet my dad, and Rachel, and I guess the pa-" He clears his throat, "-the guys. My friends, I mean. Uh, I kind of told them about you."

"Oh yeah?" I raise an eyebrow and ask teasingly, "What'd you say about me?"

Jake shrugs cooly, "Oh nothing really, just that we met because you got lost in the woods, and then you practically demanded I take you to the fireworks."

"Hey!" I protest, "I did not! I asked nicely."

"I'm only messing with you," Jake says, tweaking my nose between his thumb and forefinger. I grab his hand and pretend to bite him.

"Careful, I will bite you," I warn him.

"Oh, I believe you," Jake laughs. "So will you come to dinner?"

"Of course," I nod, leaning into his hard chest and stifling a yawn with my hand.

"Tired?" Jake asks, half smile perched on his lips.

I blink sleepily and reply, "I guess I am. It's been a long weekend."

Jacob gasps and straightens up, "Oh my God, I'm such an ass. Did you make what you need? Did you get the extension?"

"Yeah, we did. We made three thousand four hundred something, so we made just enough." I answer proudly. I've never felt so accomplished over something I've done in my entire life. "I only wish I could've gotten the house for Grams to keep for good."

"You got her more time, and she wasn't even expecting that much from you. You helped a lot, Elyse." Jake stares down at me affectionately, reminding me very much of Billy in the picture with Mom. "You should go get some sleep. You look like you might fall asleep right here."

"No," I whine playfully, "Stay here with me and let me sleep like this." I snuggle against him and close my eyes.

"I would if you wanted." I open my eyes and look up at him to see his eyes very serious.

"You're not kidding." How did whoever that girl that broke Jacob's heart not see how amazing he is? How did she let something like this go? She must be crazy. "It's tempting, but...I think you should go home to your own bed, and wake up there in the morning with your dad, and then repeat that process for like the next few years so you don't give him a premature heart attack."

Jake smiles sheepishly, "Fine. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Okay." I already can't wait for tomorrow.

I kiss Jake on his cheek and hug him tightly before letting him go. He makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like hot chocolate on a cold winter day, or chicken noodle soup when you have a cold. I go straight inside and upstairs to my room, bundling up under the covers to try and feel as warm and comfy as I felt in Jake's arms. It's not the same. I feel exhausted, mentally and physically, but my brain doesn't want to turn off. Jake may have explained himself, but now I'm worried about what my dad is up to. Ava's phone call is stuck in my head, repeating itself on endless loop.

Why was she so upset I'm not coming home? Why did she say Dad was already there? Why didn't Gavin want her on the phone with me? When did my life turn into a secret spy mission? And when am I going to be clued into what the shitty-shit is going on here?

Please Review! :)

Jake told Elyse about Bella...sort of, so when do you think he'll tell her about everything else? What did you think about Elyse's dad cancelling her flight and keeping her in Forks? What do you think is going on with Roger?