Chapter 11
I awoke to hear Jared talking on the phone. "No, she is okay. She hasn't said anything about what you did, but I wouldn't try anything. You broke her heart. You are the reason she was leaving." I kept my eyes shut, so he wouldn't know I was awake. Who is he talking to? I questioned myself. It might be Jacob. "I don't care. She is safe. We will be back tomorrow night. No, if she wants to see you she will, but I doubt that she will want to see you." I pulled the sheets up to my chin, realizing that it was cold. "She is waking up, we can talk later." Jared hung up his phone. I pretended to be asleep a little while longer, so he wasn't suspicious. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me, "What do you want for breakfast?" "I'm not all that hungry. Get something if you need." He nodded and then walked out of the room. I got out of the bed went into the living room area of the suite.
I hopped up into the chair and pulled my knees up to my chest, and wrapped my arms around them. I laid my head on my knees and closed my eyes, keeping to myself. Jared rang down to the front desk, asking them for another night and tomorrow and that we would be checked out by noon tomorrow. They added it to the bill and then Jared rang down to order some food. He hung up the phone and then looked at me, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." "Okay." He walked into his bedroom and changed clothes.
There was a knock at the door. I got up and walked over to the door and answered it. There stood Sam and Emily. "What are you doing here?" "We need to all talk. Paul's here too." Paul stepped from the side and nodded towards me. I let them all in and then shut the door. They all went and sat on the couch, Paul in the chair. Jared came out and looked at them, "What are you all doing here?" "We all need to talk." I stood across from the chair and couch, Jared next to me. "She knows about them." Sam said. "Who knows about what?" I asked. "Bella. She knows what the Cullens are." "Well, what do we do?" "We try and protect her still. She is a human and we protect the humans." "Fine. I will protect her. But don't expect me to make nice though." "I get that you don't much like her, especially after Jake, but you do need to at least pretend so she can trust you." "Fine." "We need to leave. Tonight." "Fine. Let me get my stuff together, and then we can leave. I will let the hotel know that we won't be staying that extra night." Sam nodded and then handed me the phone that was sitting next to him. I called down to the front desk and a man picked up. I told him to cancel our reservations for tonight and to cancel our food. He didn't sound to happy to do either, but I was told to hurry. I hung up and then went to my room and gathered all my things. I left on my sweatpants and tank top and just slipped on my flip flops. I slung the backpack onto my shoulder and then walked out of the room.
Jared was standing by my door and slipped his arm around my shoulder's and led me out of the suite. Sam, Emily, and Paul all followed us and stood in front of us on the elevator. Paul sniffed the air and then growled, "Leeches." He came and stood on my other side, placing his hand lightly on the small of my back. Jared took my hand and then the elevator opened. We stepped off the elevator and then saw Rosalie and Emmett standing there. They group all surrounded me. "What do you want leeches?" Paul asked. Sam shot him a look and he shut up. "Please, we need your help. Bella knows about us, and yet, she is in love with my brother." "There isn't anything we can do. We protect humans from you. Not the other way around." I glanced down at the floor and Jared squeezed my hand. I looked up at him and he mouthed, "It's okay." I squeezed his hand back in response, and then looked at Rosalie, "We will protect her. Vampires can protect themselves." I turned and walked to the front desk, Jared and Paul still keeping their hands on me.
I got to the front desk, and the man that must have answered the phone, was standing there. I took the key out of my pocket and handed it to him. "Thank you ma'am. I hope you enjoyed your stay, please come again." He took the key and went into the back room. I stepped away from the desk and headed outside. Rosalie and Emmett were hot on our trail, Sam and Emily on theirs. "Kierra, please, we need your help." Rosalie said, putting her ice cold hand on my arm. Paul and Jared about snapped her head off. "Guys," I said, putting my hands on their chest and pushing them back, "we don't need and all out war going on in the parking lot. Rosalie, Emmett. I really don't think we can help you. We are actually headed back to our house. Now, please. Let us get in and leave." They just nodded and walked off to their car.
I got into my truck, Paul in back and Jared next to me in the passenger seat. I started the engine and waited for Sam and Emily to get into their vehicle. Sam started their car and then waited for me to pull out of the parking lot. I pulled out and started down the road, then pulled over at the gas station. Each boy went in as the lady at the gas tank filled me up. I went in to pay and grabbed a few snacks and drinks of my own. I paid for it all and then went back out to my truck, each boy hopping in their seat. I started the truck back up. Sam and Emily waited for me to get on the road again, and I did. I pulled out onto the highway and started down the road. I glanced at Paul in my rear view mirror, "Can you hand me some of the taffy that is in my backpack?" He nodded and then just handed me the whole backpack. Jared took it and then pulled out some taffy, unwrapped it, and handed it to me. "Thanks." I said, and then popped the taffy into my mouth. I drove on down the road, keeping my eyes on the road, and one of my hands on the wheel. Jared took a hold of my hand that wasn't on the wheel. "Kierra, you are my best friend." "I know. You're my best friend, too, Jared." he smiled and kept a hold of my hand and shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep. I glanced in the rear view mirror to see that Paul was already asleep.
It took just a few short hours for us to reach La Push. I pulled into the driveway of my house and parked the truck. Jared awoke when I shut the truck up, and then woke Paul up. We all got out and then Sam and Emily pulled into their drive. We waited for them to get out. I walked up to Sam and he nodded towards Emily to go into the house. Jared and Paul must have taken the hint as well because Paul went into Emily's and Jared went into my house, probably to scrounge around for food. Sam looked at me, "What did Jacob say to you?" "Well, which part would you like to know?" "All of it." "Well, first he told me he really liked me, then asked me to go to the beach with him, where he met up with Bella, and then ditched me. I was left alone and then Jared, thankfully, howled and I shifted. He kept me company that night. That was the day before school started. The day that school actually started, Jacob and I got into a fight because I told him the day before that he had no reason to ditch me. He got all huffy and puffy about it, because I had chosen my best friend over him, and he didn't like that. We argued about the day before and he looked me dead in the eye and said, 'What, did you think you were my best friend or something?' So I looked at him and said, 'No, I thought I was more than that to you.' and then I walked away. He then proceeded to tell me yesterday after a full on make out session, that his heart didn't belong to me. So I yelled at him and told him to get out of my truck." Sam was silent for a few moments and then wrapped his arms around me, "I'm sorry Kierra. I didn't know what he did to you." "Well now you do, so." He gave me a gentle squeeze and then looked at me, "Go inside. Jared is ransacking the place. You probably should go cook him something, before he burns the house down." I just laughed and nodded then walked inside.
I found Jared in the kitchen, digging around in the cabinets, "You have no food." "Why don't we go to the store and pick up some ingredients and I will make dinner?" He closed the cabinet doors, "Okay." We walked outside and hopped in the truck. I fired up the engine and drove out of the driveway. "Why don't we go to the local grocery store?" Jared asked. "Sounds great." I pulled into the parking lot and jumped out. We walked in the store and the fresh aroma of flowers hit me. "God those things are disgusting." Jared said, turning his nose up at them. I just looked at him. "What?" "Oh, nothing Jared." "No, no. Kierra, tell me." "Those 'things' actually smell amazing." I said, smiling and walking back to the meat section. "Well, to me, they stink." "Well it's probably a good thing your not a chick then." I laughed and walked over to the chicken. I looked at the drumsticks and piled the cart full of them. I went and grabbed quite a few bottles of ketchup and bags of brown sugar. "What are you making?" Jared finally asked after staring at the basket for a long time. "It's this old recipe my mom's best friend, my 'aunt', used to make." "What is it?" "You'll see." He just nodded and went to the cash register with me. I grabbed a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup four pack, and Jared grabbed one also. I paid for all the food and then Jared and I loaded our arm's full of of the bags and took them out to the truck.
When we got out there, Billy was sitting in front of the truck. "Kierra, can I speak to you?" "Billy, I really don't have time." "Please, it's important." I nodded and sat the groceries in the bed of the truck, and so did Jared. "I'll wait for you in the truck." Jared said. I nodded and he got in. "What did you need to talk about Billy?" He folded his hands in his lap, "I know what happened between you and my boy. All I can say is." I stopped him, "Billy, Jake needs to speak for his actions. If he wants to talk he knows where to find me." "Kierra, please. Let me finish." I just nodded. "I know that you, uhm, shifted." I nodded again. "And, from seeing it with my own eyes, you have imprinted." I nodded again. "Kierra, please. Just take care of my boy. Him and his sisters are all I have left." "Billy, I never wanted to hurt Jake, nor do I plan on it." "He is close to changing. I can feel it." "What do you mean?" I asked, but he just patted my arm and rolled away. I got in the truck, "Well, that was strange." "Yeah." "You heard?" "All of it." I nodded then started the truck back up and started on down the road again. I pulled into the driveway of my house. Jacob was with Sam, but you could see that Sam was more than mad. Jared and I quickly got out of the truck and ran over to Sam. "You ever hurt her again, and I will come after you myself!" Sam yelled. Jared pulled on Sam's arm and couldn't budge him, so I turned towards Jake and pushed him back. "Kierra, what are you doing?" "Just, go inside." "No. What's going on?" "Just get inside. I need to talk." I lied. It was the only thing I could do to get him inside.
Jared had managed to pull Sam away into the woods. I managed to get Jacob inside the house before Sam exploded and revealed the secret. I pulled Jake into the kitchen where he couldn't see into the woods. "What the hell were you thinking?" I asked, facing him. "What do you mean?" "Why the hell did you come down here?" "I came to tell Sam that you were leaving. I didn't realize that you had actually come back." "Well, here I am." I turned away from him and grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with pink lemonade from the fridge. "Kierra, what I said yesterday." "No, I don't even want to hear it. I know who you love, and it isn't me. I mean, hell. I'm not even your best friend." "Kierra." "No. We all know you love Bella. It's Bella this, Bella that. I mean, when I was in a freaking car accident, you invited Bella to come down and see me. I don't really even know her, but you think that she needs to come see me because I was in an accident." I took a sip of my drink. "She has a boyfriend now." "Oh, Edward?" He looked at me, "How did you know that?" "Because I met Edward, and yeah. I know that she is with him. But what does that have to do with this?" "I lied yesterday. My heart, it belongs to the both of you." "Well, to make it easy, so you don't have to choose, I won't be in your way." I walked out of the kitchen, Jake following me. "Kierra, just. Wait. Please." "You know, your on again off again love is kind of giving me whiplash. I mean, you can't just not love someone one day and love them the next, and then not love them the following day." I stood with my back to him, facing the window and looking outside.
Jake sighed and then walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, "I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you." "You could have just made up your mind." "Well, I don't know how." "Just try. That's all I ask." Jake pushed him face into the back of my head, "I'll try. I just don't know if I can choose." "You can. I know you can." He wrapped his arms tighter around me and kept them there. "I need to get the groceries out of my truck." I said after a few minutes. "I'll help you." I walked outside to see Jared lifting the bags out of the truck. "Let me help you with that." I said, walking over. Jake offered his help too, and Jared actually accepted. "Do you want to stay? For dinner I mean?" I asked Jake. "No, that's okay. I have to go home and help my dad." "Okay." We took the bags inside and I started on dinner for Jared and I. Jake stayed for a little bit and then got bored I think. "I had better get going." "Okay, well. I guess comes over when you want." "Okay, we can talk more later." I nodded and then he walked out the door.
"What did you two talk about?" Jared asked, once Jake was out of hearing range. "Oh, he doesn't know how to chose between Bella and I. So I told him I would make it easy and not be in his way." "Well, at least you have me for now." Jared said, and then smiled. "You will always be there for me, right?" I asked, looking up at him. "Forever and a day." He wrapped his arms around me, keeping me there for awhile. "Thank you for being there for me Jared. I needed someone, and I know that I can always turn to you, and you'll be there with open arms." "Like I said, I will always be here for you. Forever and a day." He let me go and then I started back on dinner. I mixed the brown sugar and ketchup all together. I had Jared fry the chicken in oil, and then we smothered the chicken with the brown sugar and ketchup. I sat it in the oven to heat up and finish cooking the chicken. "I'll be right back." I said. Jared nodded and then I ran upstairs, throwing my hair into a bun. I cleaned up a little bit and then went back downstairs. Jared was dishing up the food and setting it at the table for us to eat.
I took my place across from Jared and then waited for him to sit down. He brought me my glass of water and then poured him some water as well. "Oh." I said, getting up from the table and walking over to the drawers. I pulled out washcloths and got them wet. I handed one to Jared, and then placed on next to my plate. I took my silverware and put them back in the drawer. "Why aren't you going to use the silverware?" Jared asked me, looking at me strangely as I slid the drawer shut. "This dinner here, has never been meant to use silverware on." He took his silverware and put them back in the drawer as well and then sat down at the table. I sat down across from him again and started to dig in. Jared shoved chicken after chicken down his throat, finishing off his plate and getting seconds and thirds. We both had about six plates together.
Once we were done with the food, Jared went into the living room and turned on the TV and I cleared off the table and dishes and put them in the dishwasher. I started the dishwasher, and then cleaned off the table and counter tops, and stove. I put the rag in the sink and then went to the living room, checking the clock. "Jared, its 9:30. We have school tomorrow. I think we had better get some sleep." Jared shut off the TV and looked at me, "I need to run to my house for a few minutes." "Okay, while you are there, grab you some clothes to leave at my place. Just in case, you know." He took the hint that I was leaving about the wolves, and nodded, "I will be back soon. Just leave the door unlocked and then I will lock it when I come in." "Okay, and where do you want to sleep?" I asked him, before he could walk out the door. "Wherever you are sleeping." He said, smiling at me. I nodded and then turned off the kitchen light and the living room light and walked up the stairs and Jared let the house. I was already in sweatpants and a tank top, so I just crawled into my bed and dozed off.
