Bella and Jacob leave early the next morning, and Billy goes down to Charlie's with Harry Clearwater to watch the game. Alone for the day, I work on my homework and clean around the house to get ready for the dinner tonight, and walk to the mini mart to get a few things we were missing.
In the parking lot of the mini mart, Paul Lahote, Jared Cameron, and Sam Uley stand in an intimidating circle, and then head into the store. I curse under my breath as the enter to store, and grit my teeth as I follow.
The minute I enter the store, Paul's head jerks up and he looks around until his gaze zeros in on me. I look away uncomfortably at the stare, and make my way to the frozen aisle. Unfortunately, that's where the three goons are headed too.
I locate the garlic bread and ignore the gazes and whispers coming from the three, and stretch to try and reach the last roll pushed to the very back of the top shelf. Everyone that wishes they were short don't understand how annoying it actually is.
Behind me, I hear footsteps walking towards me, and pray to the spirits that it isn't Paul. Of course, the immense heat radiating behind me as his body brushes against mine proves that it is him, and he easily grabs the hard to reach garlic bread.
Damn his freaky steroid ass.
"Trying for this, shorty?" Paul asks, his voice deeper than I remember it to be.
I take the bread from his hands, hating that my stomach turns from being near him. I like Seth, I have no feelings at all for Paul, not anymore.
"People usually say thanks in situations like this, you know." Paul smirks, leaning against the frozen foods door.
"Thanks." I mutter, and brush past him.
He grabs hold of my arm, his warm skin taking me by surprise. Again with this routine, I guess.
"Look dude, I really don't have time for this anymore. I have a boyfriend, and you're really starting to slip into stalker territory." I snap, trying to yank my arm out of his grip. Instead, his face hardens and his grip get stronger.
"You have a boyfriend?" Paul hisses out, his entire body shaking like he's having a seizure.
"Let go of me, Paul." I again try tugging my arm away from him, but he gets stronger. I cry out in pain, and try ripping his fingers off me.
"Paul," Sam Uley appears behind him, his expression unreadable. "Let her go."
The thoughts in my head reach an amazing speed, and I want them to slow so I can breath but they don't. My breaths start to come in gasps, and I feel as though I'm going to black out. My palms tingle and my heart hammers as though it belongs to a rabbit racing away from a hunter. My blood pounds through my ears, making the fast thudthudthud the only thing I can hear. The room spins, and I squat to the floor, trying to slow everything so my brain and body can cope.
Paul let go of my hand but it feels as though someone else is grabbing my entire body, compressing it into one tiny ball of nothing, leaving me unable to fend for myself.. Blacknes.. Creeping blackness.. I'm on the floor in a ball now, fetal position, what's my name, where am I, who's grabbing me, the room is spinning, I can't breathe.
"Breathe, Rayna. In and out." Sam urges, and I slowly drag myself out of my panic attack with Sam's coaxing.
Paul is the one holding me, and I push myself out of his arms.
"Don't ever touch me again." I spit out, and grab the garlic bread off the ground. "Fuck you."
Paul starts shaking as though he's having a seizure, and Sam pulls him out of the store.
"Sorry, Rayna." Jared says apologetically, and hurries after his friends.
Now alone, I pull my sleeve up to see the dark bruises forming on my arm over my scars, shaped exactly like Paul's fingers. I stare blankly at it, my blood running cold. How the fuck did he do that?
I gather the rest of the things from the store while running on autopilot, and only start to calm down when I reach the house. Once inside, I quickly put the groceries away and start to cry.
Panic attacks are the worst things I've ever experienced in either of my lives, and they drain me of all energy. I was so terrified when Paul grabbed me, and everything he does is really starting to creep me out. I think I'm terrified of Paul Lahote.
I end up falling asleep on the couch, and the sound of Jacob and Bella returning is what woke me up. They didn't come inside, but the roar of the truck and their excited voices were loud enough.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I hopped in the shower, and dressed. I twist the water out of my hair best I can, and tie it up so it won't be in the way while I cook dinner. Billy had asked me to do it, since he and the boys were watching the game. I don't mind, since I enjoy cooking a lot.
I get to work boiling the pasta, heating up the sauce, and tossing the garlic bread in the toaster oven. I even put together a salad and throw some cookies in the oven. While waiting for it all to cook, I get the silverware ready to be put out. I'm not sure what exactly our plan is for seating arrangements, so I hold off on that.
Eventually, I hear another truck pull up, and the sounds of the Elders talking wafted through the open window.
Seth and Leah walk in, Sue following behind. Sue smiles widely when she sees me, and sets down a covered dish.
"It smells lovely in here!" Sue exclaims, wrapping me in a hug.
"Made it all from scratch," I joke, smirking.
"I'm sure," Sue shakes her head, her smile still on her face. "I brought pie for dessert!"
"Perfect," I grin. Sue makes the best pies, all from scratch. "I made cookies, but they're Nestle."
"Nothing wrong with Nestle." Sue winks, and sets the pie down on the kitchen table.
Leah takes control of our home phone, and settles in by it so I know it'll be awhile. Seth helps Sue and I get everything into dishes, and by then everyone else walks in.
"Billy invited us for dinner," Charlie says as they walk into the house, in an absentminded tone.
"My super secret recipe for spaghetti. Handed down for generations," Billy says gravely.
Jacob and I both snort at that.
"I don't think Ragu's actually been around that long." Jacob shakes his head.
The house gets crowded, and Bella looks overwhelmed. With the Clearwaters, Swans, and us in our tiny house, it was a bit claustrophobic. It didn't help that Leah refused to help with anything, and stayed stuck on the phone almost the entire time.
Since there is too many of us for the kitchen table, Charlie and Harry bring chairs out to the yard, and we all eat spaghetti off plate on our laps in the dim light coming from our open door. The Elders talk about the game, Harry and Charlie made fishing plans. Sue teases Harry about his cholesterol, and tries, unsuccessfully, to shame him into eating some of the salad I made. Jacob, Bella, Seth, and I talked mostly among ourselves. I notice Charlie watching Bella with pleased yet cautious eyes.
As usual, it is loud and sometimes confusing with everyone talking over everyone else, and the laughter from one joke interrupting the telling of another. Bella doesn't speak often, but she smiles a lot. Unlike me, considering I did most of the talking in our group, although Jacob was a close second.
In this moment, it is easy to forget about my earlier panic attack.
The inevitable rain is what breaks up the party; our living room is much too small to provide an option for continuing the get-together. The Clearwaters are the last to leave, and Seth and I find ourselves alone in the kitchen, washing dishes together.
"You looked really cute tonight," Seth says quietly, drying the plate I handed to him.
"You saying I don't look cute now?" I playfully nudge his hip with mine.
Seth gives me an exasperated look, and reaches over to plant a small kiss on my lips.
"So, you guys are a thing now?"
I whip around to see Leah standing in the doorway, looking unamused as she surveyed the scene.
"Leah-" Seth begins, but is interrupted.
"She'll probably just fuck you over. You're too good for her." Leah states bluntly. "Mom wants me to tell you it's time to go."
I stand there in shock, while Seth slams his plate down. "What's your problem, Leah?" Seth demands.
"It's time to go." Leah mutters, and walks out of the room.
"I'm sorry," Seth hugs me.
"It's not your fault." I say automatically. I'm not quite sure how to respond, and Seth hugs me tighter.
"Ignore her," Seth kisses my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." I say halfheartedly, and Seth hurries out of the kitchen.
Alone, I stare at the dirty dishes. Leah's words sting, but they also confuse me. What would prompt her to say that? Although we aren't exactly friends, I never thought we had bad blood between us.
I feel the familiar itch across my skin, and my fingers twitch. I look at the dirty knife with bits of garlic bread still stuck to it, and feel anxiety building like a balloon in my stomach up to my chest.
"Jacob, you're on dish duty. I have homework." I say quickly, and Jacob flashes a thumbs up from his seat on the couch.
I head into my room, and first lock the door. Then, I take off my clothes until I'm left in my underwear, and stare at my body. My arms are covered from the inside of my wrist to the crook in my arm with clean rows that overlap each other, and my upperarms have the same rows as well. My hipbones have them as well, and so do my inner thighs.
I've made a mess of my body.
My hand goes to the back of my bedside drawer, and I drag the metal across my stomach next to the rows on my hipbones. I feel numb as I do this, and I don't stop until I know I've done more than I should.
Mechanically I clean myself up and press bandages into the wounds, keeping them in place with medical tape. I don't go to sleep, but instead look out the window into the woods. Almost everything today seemed off and weird and awful, and I wish I could delete it from my existence.
For the first time in a long time, I think about my children from before. Were they still alive? I'm sure at least their kids are, my grandkids. I know I should feel some sort of attachment, but I don't. The only way I can think to explain it is to say that I have no emotional ties to my past life. It even seems as though my flashbacks come less and less, so maybe I'm outgrowing them.
Maybe I'm outgrowing my past life completely.
-o-
Monday morning Seth and I make our relationship status known to the public by kissing quickly after first period. Word travels fast, and at lunch Nikkita pulls me aside with an odd expression on her face.
"You and Seth are dating?!" She whisper screams as we stand near the garbage cans in the cafeteria.
"Yeah, we are." I nod, not sure what she was getting at.
"That seems so odd, isn't it like dating your brother?" Nikkita crinkles her nose, crossing her arms.
"No, why would it be?" I ask defensively, crossing my arms as well.
"You've known each other since you were born, literally. The thought of you two being together seems like incest." Nikkita says bluntly, and I step back like she hit me.
"Wow, thank you for that." I walk out of the cafeteria, angry at her words. And some small part of me wonders if she might have a point.
-o-
On Wednesday, I end up going over to Bella's house with Jacob, since they have a sort of study session planned. I know Jacob is awful when it comes to any sort of science, and I have trouble with any sort of math. I hope Bella can help me with a few problems, and in exchange I could give both her and Jacob help with any science they might need it with.
I know Jacob hates having me come with, but Bella seems happy to have both of us there. I've grown to like Bella, and although she normally spends her time with just Jacob, we have a stable friendship formed now.
We don't start homework right away, instead, Bella spends the afternoon making lasagna while Jacob and I watch; although he sampled it more than he should have. Bella said she's trying to atone for all the pizza they'd been eating.
Eventually we end up in the living room, Jacob and Bella sprawled across the living room floor while I sit in the armchair. Their books are all over the place while mine are neatly on the table next to the armchair. Bella is in the middle of helping me through Algebra when Charlie walks in, not looking the least surprised that we've taken over his living room.
"Hey, kids," Charlie says, his eyes straying towards the kitchen. The smell of lasagna wafts down the hall, smelling good enough to make anyone hungry.
Jacob and I end up staying for dinner, and we take a plate home for Billy. For some odd reason, before we leave, I hear Jacob grudgingly tell Bella she gets another year for being a good cook.
"You guys are so weird." I say once we get in the car, the lasagna for Billy warming my lap.
"Not as weird as you and Seth are," Jacob replies.
"What is with everyone, fuck!" I slam my head against the back of my seat, shutting my eyes.
Jacob looks at me warily out of the corner of his eyes. "Everything okay?"
"No, everything's not okay, because everyone has been saying that it's weird for Seth and I to be dating, and I can't help but wonder if they're right, but I don't want to hurt Seth's feelings because I do love Seth, I just don't know if I love him like a brother or like a boyfriend." I rush out, and end with a large sigh, resting my head against the cool window.
"That's deep," Jacob lets out a low whistle. "Have you told Seth how you feel?"
"No, of course not, because if I do like him as a boyfriend then I'll be messing everything up. And if we go back to just being friends, things might not be the same." I shake my head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Okay," Jacob says. "You know, while you're beating yourself up over this, you might want to remember you guys just started dating, or whatever. You might need more time to transition to the next step than he does."
"Please never give me advice again, it's way too weird." I shake my head again, staring out the window. The rest of the ride home is silent.
-o-
The next day at school, a surprise hits. Embry, who has been absent for a week and been ignoring Jacob and Quil, suddenly reappears.
He looks terrified.
"I'll catch up with you later," I tell Seth, and hurry towards Embry.
When he sees me, he freezes, and turns in the other direction. A wave of deja vu passes over me, but I hurry after him anyways.
"Em, wait up!" I call, and finally catch up to him, almost tripping over my own feet. "Hey, where have you been?"
Embry says nothing, and doesn't turn around. His hair is cropped now, and he seems to have gained at least another foot to his height. It's just like Paul, I realize suddenly, and like Jared before him.
"Look at me." I demand, grabbing his arm. Embry brushes me off easily, even though I had a tight grip on his arm. "Your mom beens worried about you. You've missed all your shifts this week."
He stays silent, stoic.
"Fuck, Embry, not you too." I exclaim morosely, smacking a hand to my forehead. "Don't do this."
Embry stops walking, and I crash into him. He turns to me, and his voice is different now. "Give Paul some slack, okay Rayna?"
My mouth actually drops open, and I look at Embry, astonished. "Are you fucking kidding me? Tell your new friend," I sneer the word. "To fuck off."
I spin away from Embry, and leave school. I only have two classes left, so it isn't a big deal, but I know Billy won't be happy anyways. Everything stresses me out lately, and now Embry suddenly ditches us and tells me to go easy on creepy stalker Paul? Fuck this.
In my anger, I reach my house quicker than I thought I would. Billy is surprised to see me, and starts to lecture me but I snap on him first.
"I know you know what's going on, BIlly, and I want answers," I snap, slamming my backpack on the ground. "You're the Chief, so you know what Sam Uley and his gang are up to, and why the fuck Embry got sucked into it."
"You should still be in school." Billy says, acting as though he didn't hear a word I said.
I stare blankly at him, and feel the rage rising in my body. I start shaking from it, and storm out of the house. I can't be around Billy right now, or I'll probably end up breaking something- maybe him.
Deep breaths. I need to take deep breaths. Why the fuck am I shaking?
"Damn it!" I shout, tugging on my hair. The pain calms me down, and I end up with strands of dark hair in my fists. "Fuck."
I wander La Push for an hour and a half, and decide to text Seth and tell him to meet me at my tree. Twenty minutes later, he shows up looking confused.
"Why weren't you in school?" Seth asks, dropping his bag on the ground.
I close the gap between us in one stride, and pull him closer to me by taking his shirt in my fists. I slam my lips onto his, kissing with a harsh need to try and forget the mix of emotions swirling around in my mind.
Seth isn't responsive, and our kiss quickly turns awkward as he slowly tries moving his lips with mine. I pull away, and shut my eyes.
"Are you okay?" Seth asks tentatively, wiping a hand across his mouth.
"Seth, I really just want you to kiss me so hard I can't think straight," I say bluntly. "I'm so angry with everything lately, and I just really fucking need you to take my mind off it."
Seth nods slowly, and I press my lips against his again. This time, he quickly moves his mouth in time with mine, and after a few seconds I start to feel confused. He obviously isn't very comfortable kissing like this, and that bothers me. It almost feels as though I'm forcing him to attempt this, which I suppose I am, but it makes me feel so uncomfortable that I pull away again.
"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Seth asks softly.
"I don't know if we should be dating each other." I say it fast so I don't have time to think about it, and my heart aches when Seth's face drops.
"What makes you say that?" Seth asks carefully, his expression guarded.
"I guess.. The things people have said to me. It's like they planted seeds of doubt that've grown so much that I can't ignore it anymore." I sigh heavily, sitting down on the ground.
"Since when do you care what anyone else thinks?" Seth sits next to me, and nudges me playfully.
I exhale loudly. "I dunno, it's just.. They all say that you're like my brother. And that makes me feel gross, because of what that would say about the kind of person I am. Plus, now the stuff with Embry and my dad not telling me what he knows…"
Seth pulls me into a hug, and I lean my head on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat calming me.
"The only people who need to be okay with our relationship is me, and you." Seth says, running a hand through my hair.
"You're right," I say, feeling lighter and better about the situation. "I should have talked to you sooner."
Seth laughs, and I love the way it reverberates through his chest. "You think?"
I lightly smack his arm. "Shut up, I'm stressed out."
Seth uses two fingers to tilt my chin up, and presses a soft kiss to my lips. "I want you to know that I'm waiting for the right time to kiss you. We're only fifteen, we don't need to rush into things"
I waggle my eyebrows at him. "Like, kiss me so I can't feel anything but you?"
Seth blushes, and I wrap my arms around him. "Yeah, if you want to put it like that. That sort of thing can't be forced, at least, I can't force it. I don't want to force it."
We sit for awhile, watching the sky go darker. We don't say much, just sit wrapped around each other listening to the sounds of the forest.
-o-
The weekend passes fairly quickly, with Jacob and Bella working on the bikes. On Sunday, Jacob takes Bella out to ride them. He spent the entire morning rushing around the house and getting everything together, trying to 'make it perfect'.
"You're like a dog with a bone." I say, leafing through Animal Farm. The book is boring, but I have to read it for English.
Jacob drops the glass he was washing, the glass shattering when it bounces off the counter to the floor. "Rayna!"
I smirk at his indignant tone. Jacob is much too easy to mess with.
Finally, he and Bella leave. I would have tagged along, since I wanted to try riding myself, but Jacob basically threatened me with my life when I mentioned that. So, I sat at home working on homework. Thanks to Bella, I've gotten a bit better in math.
For dinner, I decide to make two frozen pizzas. Billy won't be home, since he's with the other Elders probably meeting with Sam and his minions, discussing everything he won't talk to me about.
When Jacob comes back, he's shirtless, and it looks like a bit of blood is on his arm.
"Jesus, Jake, were you mugged?" I ask, an eyebrow raised.
"Naw, just Bella," Jacob shakes his head. "She slammed on the brake with her foot, launched right into a rock. She's going to tell Charlie that she tripped in the garage and landed on a hammer."
"The sad thing is, with Bella, that isn't too much of a stretch." I tsk, sliding the pizzas out of the oven.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go put a shirt on, thanks for dinner!" Jacob calls over his shoulder, walking to his room.
I listen to Jacob rattle on about his day with Bella, and can't help but feel bad for him. Its painfully obvious that he likes Bella a lot, but I don't think Bella likes him back. At least, not like that. Not that she has to by any means, but it will crush Jacob when he realizes it.
Friday after school, Jacob declares to Billy and I that he and Bella are going hiking. Apparently, Bella had once found a meadow in the woods and wanted to try and find it again. After he gets done telling us, the roar of the truck is heard coming up the driveway.
They don't leave right away, instead, Jacob sprawls across our living room floor for a full twenty minutes, drawing a complicated web across the key section of a map Bella had picked up. Bella sits perched in one of our living room chairs, chattering to Billy and I. Billy isn't concerned about the hiking trip. Bella seems surprised that Jacob told him, but there isn't any reason why he wouldn't.
"You know, Rayna is pretty good with the woods," Billy says. "You should take her with you."
Bella nods vigorously. "Yeah, definitely. You want to come?"
"Sure," I shrug. May as well see why Bella is so eager to find this place.
"Maybe we'll see the super bear," Jacob jokes, eyes glued to his design.
"Maybe you should take a jar of honey, just in case." Billy laughs.
"Super bear?" I question, crossing my arms.
"Uh, some guys have reported seeing giant bears in the woods down at the station," Bella supplies. "People are wary of going in the woods, now."
"I promise, there's nothing to fear in our woods," Billy says. "And I won't tell Charlie, if that will make you feel better."
Bella gives a relieved smile, and her tense posture relaxes. "Thanks Billy."
"On the brightside, if we run into any bears on the way, I just have to be faster than you two!" Jacob rolls his eyes, refolding the map. "Let's go."
"Have fun," Billy rumbles, rolling to the fridge.
I yank on my good hiking boots, ones that I never really wear anymore, and hurry out the door after Jacob and Bella.
Bella drives to the very end of the dirt road, stopping near the sign that marks the beginning of the trailhead. She looks nervous, uneasy even, as she steps out of the car. We get out, and Bella looks apprehensively at the dense wall of green.
"I went this way," Bella murmurs, pointing straight ahead.
I give her a side glance, a bit worried. The way she sounds, it isn't good. It reminds me of when she first started visiting us, back when she still hurt deeply over Cullen. Maybe, she wants to go here because he took her.
"Hmm," Jacob mutters. Both of us turn to him.
"What?" Bella asks, hands shoved in her pockets.
Jacob looks at the direction Bella pointed, then at the clearly marked trail, and back. I catch what he means, and snort.
"Would've figured you for a trail kind of girl." Jacob states.
"Not me," Bella smiles bleakly, and again I worry. "I'm a rebel."
Jacob and I look at each other, and almost bust a gut laughing. Jacob shakes his head, and pulls out the map.
"Give me a second," He holds the compass in a skilled way, twisting the map until he's happy with the angle.
"Okay, first line on the grid. Let's go."
The entire way, Bella slows Jacob and I up. Jacob doesn't mind, but it kinda bugs me. I haven't been hiking in years, and I want to go fast.
Jacob whistles cheerfully, I recognize it as one of the tribal songs Billy and Sarah sang to us when we were younger. Thinking of Sarah makes me sad, and I dig at my wrist to keep the memories at bay. No need to slip into a panic attack around them, when Jacob thinks I don't have them anymore and Bella doesn't even know of their existence.
I catch Bella looking at Jacob with an unusual expression on her face, and with a jolt I recognize the look. It's the look I give Seth, a look of love and care. I think Bella likes Jacob.
Every few minutes, Jacob checks the compass, keeping us in a straight line with one of the radiating spokes from the grid. It's the first time in a long time I've seen him so focused on something other than cars.
"I'm surprised, you really know what you're doing," Bella compliments, and then looks like she braces herself.
Jacob looks at her with a teasing grin. "That's another two years for me!"
Bella snorts. "Please, more like one and a half."
"Denial is not a good look for you, Bella." Jacob tsks, shaking his head. I would ask, but I figure it's just another one of their things.
As we walk, my mind slips into what I call hiking mode. I become hyper aware of all my surroundings, noting every oddly shaped tree, rock, branch. Anything and everything I could use to find my way back if I got lost, which rarely ever happened. I know my woods.
"Hey, Jake?" Bella asks hesitantly, and I turn my attention on her.
"Yeah?"
"How are things with Embry? Is he back to normal yet?"
Jacob is silent for a minute, and I grit my teeth, biting my lip so hard blood floods my mouth. Jacob is about ten feet ahead of Bella when he stops, and I'm about five feet from Jacob. I stop, too, and wait for Bella to catch up.
"No. He's not back to normal," Jacob says when Bella reaches him, his mouth pulling down at the corners. He doesn't start walking again, although Bella is caught up.
"Still with Sam." Bella says, looking like she regretted bringing it up.
"Yup." Jacob says, at the same time that I say "And Jared Cameron, and Paul fucking Lahote."
Jacob sighs, putting his arm around Bella's shoulder, looking troubled.
"Are they still looking at you funny?" Bella half-whispers, and I snap my head at Jacob.
He ignores me, instead staring through the trees. "Sometimes."
"And Billy?" Bella asks hopefully.
"As if Billy would be any help. He cares about those stupid fucking steroid 'protector' assholes than he does about us." I spit out in a sour, angry voice, kicking at a rock. It flies through the trees, and I can't see where it lands.
"My couch is always open." Bella offers sincerely, looking from Jacob to me.
Jacob laughs. "But think of the position that would put Charlie in when Billy calls to report my kidnapping."
"Please, he'd probably call up Sam instead." I snort, and we all laugh.
After we had gone six miles, we cut west for a short time, and then headed back along his grid. I notice that we aren't really getting anywhere, and Bella admits as much when it starts getting darker, the sunless day creating a starless night. Jacob, however, is more confident.
"As long as you're sure we're starting from the right place." He glances down at her.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Then, we'll find it." Jacob promises, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the mass of ferns we had passed before entering. On the other side, is her truck, which Jacob gestures towards proudly. "Trust me."
"You're good," Bella admits. "Next time we bring flashlights, though."
"We'll save hiking for Sundays from now on. I didn't know you were that slow."
Bella yanks her hand away, stomping towards the driver's side while Jacob chuckles at her reaction.
"So, you up for another try tomorrow?" Jacob asks, sliding into the middle so I get passenger seat.
"Sure. Unless you want to go without me so I don't tie you down to my gimpy pace."
"As tempting as that sounds, I think we'll need you with to make sure we find the right place." I joke, buckling myself in.
"We'll survive," Jacob assures her, nudging me in the ribs. "If we're hiking again, you might want to pick up some new moleskin. I bet you can feel those new boots right now."
"A little," Bella confesses.
"Wait, you went hiking with new shoes?" I ask, bewildered. "Girl. You have a lot to learn if you want to start hiking."
"Oh, shut up," Bella laughs.
"I hope we see that bear tomorrow. I'm sort of disappointed in that." Jacob comments.
"Yes, me too." Bella agrees sarcastically. "Maybe we'll get lucky tomorrow and something will eat us!"
I laugh, and Jacob grins.
"Bears don't want to eat people. We don't taste that good." Jacob grins again, hard to see in the dark cab. "Of course, you might be an exception. I bet you'd taste good."
"Thanks so much." Bella says, and an undertone of something sad bites into her voice. She looks away, and I again worry about her.
"Well, on the brightside Jake, I'm sure nothing would want to eat you!" I tease. "You'd taste too much like car oil."
Jacob lightly smacks my arm, and Bella warns him that she could report him to Charlie. We joke the enter way back to the house, and I feel happy knowing Bella left in a good mood. Whatever Cullen did to her, really fucked her up. If I ever see him again, I'm going to knock his teeth out.
you guys are so amazing i swear, ahh. thank you so much to everyone that's followed, favorited, reviewed, supported this story in any way. next chapter will be kind of fluffy, since it's the valentines day one. i have mixed feelings about this chapter, but i hope you guys like it! it's 6,000 words long, making it the longest chapter ive written so far. I feel proud of that, haha.
Inyushademons14- ahh thank you. I am too, seth was basically begging me to have it happen. He got his way! it kind of looks like your review got cut off :( sad, because i love reading your reviews. i hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Mckoolio- thank you! honestly, half of the things that you said have gone through my head as well, and yes the pack can smell it. or at least, they will be able to smell it, once they're in a position where it isn't a room full of crowded people, + them, + rayna. and i don't want to give too much away, but he would act differently. I have the chapter where he phases made, but rayna won't be there for it. It just didn't seem right to have her see it happen yet. However, i might do like a bonus chapter to show what happened when jake phased for the first time. I hope you liked this chapter as well, thank you so much for your lovely review!
Flowerchild23- right? ahh
Americusyoungxoxo- i did too! Thank you so much, it really makes me happy when people comment on their interactions and say they like it. ahh, thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Izaria- yes seth is a precious bean i love him sm too, he's my lil angel love. I hope you liked this chapter as well!
Guest- thank you so much, trust me, jake will be happy by the end of this story. and not with renesmee, that cannon piece of information will never be found in this story, lol. Hope you liked this chapter!
Rumtrieberinqueen- honestly, be afraid. I'm so close to hating myself for what i'm going to do in a future chapter, bc honestly ouch? But i'm excited for it. Youll know about the paul thing somewhat soon, i think. Thank you thank you thank you, i hope you keep loving this story!
