"Sorry for the long wait! Here it is finally part 2. It isn't edited so it has mistakes, sorry for that! Please bear with me! Remember I'm a Spanish speaker XD Hope you like it anyway. And THANK YOU so much for your comments and support! And you already know, if you read, please comment back!

Hugs,

Dani Moon"

CHAPTER 9 – 'Vive la Vida' (Part 2)

My mind was a mess. I had mixture feelings toward this situation. And while we tried to look anywhere but each other's eyes, inside my head a really complex debate was taking place. One side of my brain was commanding me to go away, to leave her there with her choices and her betrayals. She sure deserved that. She'd lied to me as if I was her enemy, as if all the things we went through together were nothing more than the mere invent of my mind. She was a hell of a liar, oh yeah; I'd to give her credit for that. She really fooled me for a moment. The tremble grew even more when every piece seemed to be completing the hypocrite puzzle. The phone call from 'Mrs. Badey' when we were about to kiss, the suddenly interest in clothes and the immediate opposition when I told her I wanted to go too, the encouragement for going to find clothes for myself, the refusing when I wanted to take her to the Badeys'. Everything seemed to complete the puzzle just too well. I was furious, but I tried to hide it taking a deep breathe.

The other side of my brain, the one that wanted Leah in a pathetic, sick way, wanted to stay. It wanted to continue this game, to give her a bit of her own medicine but to take her home with me at the end of the night. Against all senses I helped this part of my mind to let it win; besides I wasn't strong enough to leave her here with this M-ass guy and walk away.

It was incredible all the thoughts I managed to create in only a few seconds. We were still not facing each other, but the debate on my brain had ceased and the decision had been made. With that, the tension dropped little bit, and I could appreciate what I had in front of my eyes. Leah was beautiful, and the dress she was wearing embraced her body perfectly. But the way she looked tonight didn't show even the slightest of the beauty she really held. This wasn't Leah, with all that make up spread over her face or the tight clothes. This wasn't the Leah that would laugh with me about any of my bad jokes, or would play in the mud without complaining of getting dirty, or would yell at me every time she had to. No, she wasn't that Leah I grew to appreciate so immensely, I grew to even love. I was going to show her that.

"And by the way, what are you doing here?" Leah's question brought me back. Oh crap! What was I going to tell her now? 'Well, the truth is, I perceive something was wrong. So I came to look for you, 'cause I'm a sick, overprotective mutt.' Yeah sure, that would be perfect! The voice in the back of my mind snapped, sarcastically.

"Well? Did you listen to what I just asked? Or are you trying to come up with a story so…" Leah started to complain. But I couldn't listen to her anymore, my mind was now a hundred percent focused on the entrance. I couldn't restrain a mischievous smile that started playing with my lips, because seriously, this was just perfect. There, in the entrance, a tiny, joyful girl was standing timidly by the corner. A girl I got to know, a girl that Leah knew.

"Actually, I'm waiting for someone," I tried to say in the smuggest way I could come up with.

"Oh," Leah mumbled surprised. And again that mischievous smile was threatening to give me away. "Really? So who is the lucky girl?" The grin she managed to put on her face was so painfully false it almost looked like a grim.

"Well, to tell you the truth I'm the lucky one, she is pretty awesome." I left my gaze to the spot, to show her who I was talking about. I wasn't entirely lying she was really nice, but well; 'being enough' wouldn't get anyone jealous.

"Mariawhatev—" Leah muttered under her breathe, when she saw who I was talking about.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?"

"Um, nothing! So you should go the tiny girl is waiting for you." she said faking indifference. I could see a pinch of pain in the deepness of her eyes, but I didn't want think about that, my mind could be lying to me again.

"She has a name, you know that? Marianne," I needed to continue with the plan. But just there it hit me. What plan, you stupid? Marianne didn't come with you! My pessimistic voice interrupted my genius idea.

"Yes, yes. Marianne, whatever… You should go, someone could mash her without noticing," she grinned evilly.

"You should go look for Mas-x, maybe he can't lift two tequila shots with those arms," I snapped back. We really look as childish 15 year olds, but it didn't matter. If she was going to continue with this, I was too.

"His arms aren't bad at all. At least he can sleep without snoring." She glared at me, and started to walk away. My mind got stuck in that last statement, 'At least he can sleep without snoring'. What? She slept with him?

I couldn't contain myself, and I started walking toward her, too determined to get that information. The trembling was starting again, but I manage to diminish it breathing deeply. "Hey, what do you mean 'at least he can sleep without snoring'?" I snapped without thinking. "Have you… seen him sleep?" OK, that wasn't exactly the question I wanted to ask, but I couldn't ask her the real one.

"Yes," She said calm. I clamped my teeth so tightly I was astonished that they didn't crack. "I'm in his house almost every day, he is always taking naps." She finished and walked away, in a provocative way.

I breathe a sigh in relief. Jeez Jacob, just control yourself! You are being a pathetic paranoid! The voice inside me complained again. I nodded, it was totally right. With that thought I went to look my 'date' thinking what on earth I could tell her.

"Marianne!" I shouted through the music when I was just some feet away from her. She heard her name and started looking for the source.

"Jacob?" She shouted back, surprised.

"This is the second time I ran into you today; I'm starting to think it might be fait." I grinned, playfully. OK, I didn't want to give her the wrong impression, but I needed to persuade her someway.

She smiled. "Maybe, what are you doing here? Didn't you have enough adrenaline for today with the fight at the car race?" She laughed and arched one tiny eyebrow.

I laughed back remembering the scared face of the punched guy. "I came to look for Leah," I stated, truthfully.

"Oh, are you two together?" She asked, intrigue.

"Nah, nah," I tried to say indifferently. I wish, my internal voice added. "Just friends."

"Oh, if you say so," she said while eyeing me suspiciously.

"So, I was actually wondering if you can do me a favor," I grinned angelically.

"Alright… I'll see what I can do, shoot!" She encouraged. She was always so enthusiastic and joyful it made me smile.

"The truth is, it's pathetic I know… But I want to make her feel jealous," I closed my eyes not to see her reaction. I was afraid she would laugh and go away of how pathetic I sounded.

She didn't. So I opened my eyes to see an enthusiastic Marianne. "Can I ask why?"

"She is on a date with a dumb ass!" I growled.

She smiled an understanding smile - almost a mother like smile, "Just friends, huh? Of course I will Jake, if you think this is what you need to do to be able to be with her, I'll help you,"

"Really? You will?" I grinned from ear to ear; she really was a good person.

"Yep, I will. Only if you promise you'll tell me when you get together." She stated pointing me with her finger.

"You rock," I cheered and lift her from the ground to give her a big hug. She was seriously small; my arms were almost covering all her body.

"Jacob I can't breathe!" She managed to mouth.

"Oops, sorry," I apologized and loosened the cage a little bit.

She looked behind my back. "Oh, she is watching us," she giggled hiding in my shoulder. "Ok, now I'm scared. She looks like a fierce wolf!" she shivered a little bit.

I laughed from my inside at how right she was with that statement. "What is she doing now?" I whispered, worried that Leah would hear with her too developed ear.

"She went to meet a guy that is caring two tequila shots," she said with a detective-like voice. "Oh, they are kissing now,"

"WHAT?!" I hissed and started turning around when she talked again,

"I was kidding, I was kidding. I'm sorry!" She laughed eyeing me with regretful eyes.

I sighed and put her on the floor. "Let's go dance a little bit!" I invited, grinning.

"I really don't know how to dance, Jacob…" She shook her head.

"Oh, come on! It will be fun!" I didn't wait for her answer and grabbed her by the wrist to take her to the middle of the dance floor. We started dancing as if we were crazy. She seriously didn't know how to dance, but I didn't know either. So we dance moving our arms and hips as lunatic chickens, laughing all the way.

Suddenly, I saw Leah standing in a corner of the dance floor watching us with angry eyes, and sorrow in the deep. I was going to stop dancing and apologize, when the M-ass came again to her side with two more tequila shots. She gulped both of them in a second, eyeing me deeply in the eyes with a daring look in each second. And then she grabbed the dumb ass by the wrist and took him to the middle of the dance floor too, just some feet away from where we were.

With that, we started playing 'who-dances-in-the-most-provocative-way-with-their-partner-wins'. Leah would move her hips and arms as close from M-ass as possible- peeping at me every now and then, and I would grow and curse under my breath when she did it. Then I would hug Marianne and spin her occasionally, and in response Leah would look at Marianne with killing eyes and bring herself closer to dumb ass.

Like that we stayed for an hour or so, when my feet were really killing me and I told Marianne to go sit on a table to talk for a while. Besides, this situation was really tiring and frustrating. I just wanted to end it, but I knew that if I did, that M-ass would have his way and I couldn't permit that. It pissed me off just to think of him touching Leah's hand - Hell! Just to think of anyone other than me touching her hand. When we were reaching the table, I saw her glaring at me and taking M-ass from the wrist to go once again to the bar. Jeez, she was drinking a lot.

"So, tell me about you," Marianne suggested when we already sitting in the table at the corner of the bar.

"What do you want to know? I told you about me when we talk in the garage," I shrugged.

"I don't know. There is something in your eyes that you don't want to tell me, like a hidden secret." She whispered while scrutinizing my face. Oh crap! She was too perceptive.

"Well…" The truth is I'm a werewolf, a very big werewolf that keeps the world safe from disgusting leeches. "I don't know what you can see in my eyes. I'm not that interesting," I said as composed as possible - trying no to meet her eyes, just in case.

"Alright, if you say so…" She sighed, lost in her own thoughts.

Irrationally my eyes started looking to what they wanted to find, until they found it. Leah was still in the bar, resting her head on her left hand. It seemed that she was drawing something in a napkin.

"I'm really thirsty, I'm gonna get something to drink. Do you want anything?" I said to Marianne without thinking it. I was a bit thirsty, but that wasn't my first priority. She shook her head, and with that I went to the bar, curious about what Leah could be doing.

I went as stealthily as possible so she wouldn't notice, and looked over her shoulder to the tiny piece of napkin. Leah B. was written with a black pen. She was going over the B, absentminded and half smiling.

"Leah B. as Leah Black?" I whispered to her ear, happy.

She jumped, surprised. And when she saw me, she put that bitter mask on her face again. "Puff, you wish! Leah B, as Leah Badey." She snapped in a smug way. With that, something in my chest cracked a bit.

"Oh, of course." I mumbled trying to hide my real pain. That was it, she really wanted him. And the anguish that provoked me was starting to emerge from every inch of my body. So I asked for a bottle of water and went to the table with Marianne as fast as possible. Without looking back to her once.

I sat on the chair, and drunk the water in just seconds as if it was a bottle of whiskey that would cease the pain. Marianne saw my expression and sighed.

"She wants you, you know that?" She said while looking at Leah.

"That was what I thought before, but now…" I trailed off, shaking my head.

"No, she does. I can see it in her eyes, the way she looks at you," She said with such security it made me wonder.

"How do you know that?"

She sighed deeply. "Well, because I once was in love. And I had the same look she has when she looks at you,"

"Once?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "What happened? If you want to tell me, of course…"

She sighed again and I could see the old but constant pain her eyes deep down showed, "I really don't want you to have pity for me, my life is a bit tragic," she half smiled.

I laughed bitterly. "Seriously, if you don't have pity for me after everything I told you, I promise I won't have for you," I reassured her, understanding emerging from every corner of my eyes.

She bit her lip and placed her eyes in the floor. "Although I'm tiny, I'm really 21," She rolled her eyes and continued. "When I was 17 I met the most wonderful boy any girl could ever dream to meet. He was handsome, gentle, caring, sweet… He taught me some things about life and love I hardly think anyone could have ever taught me." She was talking really low, so low I doubted that if I didn't have over sense ears, I could hear anything.

"He showed me love and happiness in ways I never thought that existed. He taught me that everyone could be better, and that dreams could always come true if you fight enough for them. He was everything to me. My first real friend, my first love…" she trailed off, and looked to the floor again not wanting to show me the tears that were blurring her brown eyes. "My only love!" She laughed sarcastically, some seconds later.

"What happened?" I whispered. I didn't want to push her, but I needed to know more.

"One day- the day of our second anniversary really, he was coming to my house. We were going to celebrate it having a romantic dinner in my house - he was from the old school," she half smiled as the memory invaded her mind. "He lived just some blocks from my house so he always came walking. That day for some reason only God knows, he decided to use the car…" she trailed off again and wiped with the palm of her hand a shed tear. Irrationally I took her hand, encouraging her.

She squeezed it and continued. "In the same moment he was driving through my street just some feet to reach my house, a drunk man driving a huge truck came the wrong way and crush him. He died in the instant. I saw everything through my window while I was lighting on the candles." In the last words she could hardly talk. The tears were coming down her face as a torrent of salty water. She kept shaking her head from side to side as trying to dissolve the image that I was sure would haunt her forever.

"You want to know the worst part?" she smiled bitterly. I nodded as hypnotized for the tragic story. "When the police came and took the body, they found a ring in his pocket…" she trailed off again and took a golden ring from her left ring finger. She gave it to me with shaky hands. 'This is the proof of my forever love. My life is yours.' That was the message written on the inside of it. My hands started to feel shaky too and I had to restrain a stupid tear that was threatening to escape my eyes. I gave it backto her trying to do my best not to look into her eyes; I wasn't achieving in the not pity thing. Her life was really dramatic, first the love of her life, then her parents… I didn't know how she could handle so much. I suddenly felt so stupid for complaining about insignificant things. She had passed through so much and yet she looked so joyful every time. As if she'd learnt how to appreciate the important things in life.

"I really don't want you to feel bad for me and even less to have nightmares for what I just told you." She laughed trying to light the too dramatic scene. "The only reason I'm telling you this is because I think you may need a little push to do what you really want." She eyed me intently, a strange wisdom coming through her eyes. "You know, before anything of this happened to me -when my life was worth living it- I always was one of the people that thought there would always be plenty of time. I always thought I would have plenty of time to do what I wanted, to tell him how much I loved him, or how much good he made to my life. I was wrong. You never have plenty time, you never know what could happen." With that she stood up from the table.

"I think I'm going to go, now. See you one of these days at the garage. My car is still having problems," She made a face and after an encouraging look fill with that wisdom again, she walk away. I could only blink in response. I was so shocked, so froze, I couldn't formulate a word. I tried to gulp but my throat was so dry for the inactivity that didn't let me.

Time. That was the only thought my mind was projecting. Marianne was right, you could never trust in time. Despite we were werewolves and a car accident would never kill us, we'd never know what could happen. With that thought I decided I wouldn't let time decide for me what I wanted, I would decide myself. What if she didn't want me back? I didn't care; I was going to fight for what I wanted. I was going to show her I was the one that would always make her happy, that would always be there for her, that would always love her. Without thinking it twice, in case I shrank back, I went to look for what my every inch of my body, my mind and my heart wanted.

I started to get worried when my eyes didn't find her. Really worried. I started to walk all over the place with a fast pace, sharpening my inhuman senses as much as possible. When I thought I was going to collapse, I saw her. In a distant corner, lying on the floor, what?

"Leah!" I ran to her, panicked. "Leah, are you alright?"

My nose involuntary wrinkled when I reached her. The smell of alcohol that was emerging from every pore of her skin was too repulsive. Leah was totally drunk.

"Jakey," She tried to mumble while grinning. Oh God. "Jakey, I missed you."

"Jeez Leah, how much did you drink?" I asked while trying to pull her up.

"Umm, a lawt, I'm a tough drinker!" She giggled. She really looked like an inoffensive little girl like this. Impossible to imagine the anger she could irradiate sometimes.

"Yeah, I can see that," I rolled my eyes. "Alright, tough drinker, let's get you outta here." I sighed and took her by the waist to help her get away from there. Suddenly furiousness overpowered me. Where was that stupid M-ass? He left her alone like this?!

"Leah, where is Max?" I tried to say between my clamped teeth, and did the impossible to restrain a growl.

"Umm, dunno. Somewhe," she managed to say. "And Mariawhatewe?"

"Mariawhat what?" I laughed, surprised. By now we were already outside the place. The air was good, it didn't let my throat burn because of the alcohol and I was sure it would help Leah feel better.

"Nothin, nothin." She waved her hand as to dissolve her last statement. "Jakey, led off me. I wanna stay!" She shouted while trying to shake my arm off her.

"Leah, why would you want to stay? That stupid left you alone and you are totally drunk!" I snapped, too angry to be polite.

"Why da ya bother anyway?" she snapped back with anguish eyes.

"Because I care about you, silly!" I shouted, trying to meet her eyes to show her the truth of my words.

"I don belief you," She folded her arms to her chest and while doing this she lost balance and was going to fall to the ground when I catch her just in time.

"Leah, look how you are. Please, let me take you home. Please," I pleaded managing to put the most persuasive look I could come with.

"Jakey the puppy with puppy's eyes," She laughed and relax her body to let me carry her.

I really could have just help her walk but I wanted so badly to be close to her. So I embrace her with my big arms, bringing her tightly to my body, and lift her up.

She yawned in response and clutched herself tighter to my chest. She was a bit cold, that was strange for someone whose regular temperature would kill a human. I put my arms around her and tried to warm her with my heated body.

"Leah where is the car?" I asked, while remembering she came driving it. I suddenly stiff, the thought of what could have happened if I wouldn't have come to look for her, was unbearable. What if she drove as drunk as she was? She wouldn't have died but--- I couldn't even think of that. If something wrong would ever happen to her I was sure I wouldn't handle it.

She pointed to the end of the street and in less than a second-I was sure no one was watching- we were already there. The ride home was quiet. Leah was with her head on the seat, and her eyes shot, grinning as if she was five. It was a funny and relaxing scene to see. I kept on thinking about what Marianne told me, and there I completely convince myself that I should let her know what I wanted. With that thought we arrived home.

I lift her up again, noticing her body was even colder, and took her inside quickly. I went to her room and placed her in bed. She yawned again, and smiled with her tired eyes.

"Everythin is spinnin!" She grumped, looking to the ceiling.

"Yes, that's what happens after drinking too much tequila," I sighed. She made a puking like face in response.

I leaned to her to tuck her in, when I noticed the temperature of body had decreased even more. Too much. "Jeez Leah, you are freezing!" I chocked, not able to keep the worry inside.

"P-probably a-a fever," She managed to say. Her temperature was lower with every second. And I was almost reaching a panic attack.

"What? What do you mean with a fever? You are freezing!" I shouted too nervous to just talk.

"J-Jakey, i-it's a wolf thin. I t-tell you tomorraw," She explained, too tired to tell the story. But that didn't give me peace, what did this mean?!

"What should I do? Should I call a doctor? What—"

"N-naw, naw. J-Jakey war-rm me-e." she tried to say between shivers, while rolling to a side to make me a place in the bed. I lay beside her, and put my arms over her shoulders to warm her as much as possible. She moaned and pulled herself closer to me, resting her head over my chest. "Jakey, you really are my hero. You saved me two times today," she mumbled through my chest while trying to make a two with her fingers. She wasn't stuttering anymore, with that I breathed a sigh in relief.

"I guess I am," I grinned, too lost in my thoughts. How everything seem just too right now, when I had her so close to me. Suddenly a flash of lighting appeared in the sky, outside and I pathetically smile thinking that was the sky taking a picture to us, approving that we deserved to be happy.

"Jakey," Leah whispered.

"Mhm?"

"Don't ever leave me, please." She cried, looking deeply into my eyes.

"I won't. I promise," I smiled and bend down to seal my word.

She stretched her face as waiting for my action, and closed her eyes. Our heart beatings were really fast, as were our breathings. I slowly kiss her forehead, then her left cheek, then right one, then her chin, her nose… And when I reached her mouth, she dropped her head down and a low snore escaped her lips. She was asleep.

I shook my head as I smiled, thinking of how the tiny fraction of a second our lips touched, was like an electroshock to my body. And with that I fell asleep, completely sure that what I would always want would be what my arms were holding.