Chapter 11
Goodbye
Graduation day came and passed, and finally we were free for a long summer ahead. Jake accepted a scholarship to a college in Port Angeles, where he decided he would commute so that he could stay at home to help his dad now that Rachel had moved in with Paul. He was going to be doing a mechanics course and was hoping to maybe open his own garage after. I was so happy for him, he's finally beginning to live his life the way he wants it, and not just as the Alpha wolf.
I on the other hand accepted my offer from San Francisco Art University, and am very excited about attending in a month or so. I keep re-reading the acceptance letter from them, thinking that it is all just a dream. Everything had happened so fast since the night Jacob had gotten hurt, he came back to school a week later, still a little weak but getting there. Then we sat finals and had graduation day and we were done. All this happened months ago, since then we have had almost three months of summer vacation. I went to Hawaii with my parents and then came back to cold La Push, Emily was now extremely close to having her baby boy and all of us were closer friends now than I ever thought we would be.
The reason I am reminiscing so much is because I have started packing up my room, trying to get together all the things I would need and want to take with me. School starts in exactly one month but I would be moving a week and a half before then, meaning I only have two and a half weeks to pack and to say my goodbyes.
As I stared down at a dark wooden picture frame with a photograph of Jacob and me inside, I couldn't help but feel a loneliness creep through my body. I was going to miss him so much. We had spent nearly a year being close to inseparable and soon I would be gone, and he would be staying here and everything was about to change. My going away to college was going to be really hard on the both of us, and there is a large part of me that's screaming for me not to go. But I have to, and Jacob wouldn't let me not go. I sighed as I put the picture frame into a box to take it with me as a tear rolled down my cheek.
There was a sharp rap on my door. I quickly wiped the tear away as it opened and someone slipped into my room.
"Hi sweetie." Mum's voice echoed through my room making me feel even emptier.
I smiled up at her but didn't say anything, I didn't need to, she knew what it was like to be an imprint and she knew how hard it would be for me to leave Jake here.
"How's the packing going?" she asked me with sorrow in her eyes and voice.
"Done, except my clothes and things I still need." I tell her dully, as I pushed the now full box across my bedroom floor to the corner of my room with the others.
She sat with me for a while but didn't have anything to say, so eventually got up and left me on my own, with my complicated mixture of feelings.
The next two weeks passed far too quickly. I literally had a couple of days left here before I would leave and I was beginning to find it hard to be around my friends knowing that it would all end soon.
I was sat on my bed, my bare legs were under my duvet and my window opened letting the light of the full moon spill into my room. It was exactly midnight and I knew Jacob would be finishing his patrol right about now. I wondered quietly whether he would come here or go home for a while, but fifteen minutes passed and I came to the conclusion that we had gone home.
I couldn't sleep, there was too much to think about. I was so excited to go and meet new people, take classes at the academy and make new art, but I was also so afraid to leave. This isn't a place I had known for my whole life but I had become accustomed to being here, and grown to love the small town I had thought I would hate so much. With every day that passed I felt a hole in my heart grow, knowing exactly what I would be leaving behind. I tried so hard to not torture myself this way but I couldn't help it, this place had become my home and my new friends had become my family and I was opting to leave them.
My bed dipped as Jacob climbed through the window and sat down next to me. His warm arms engulfed me and pulled me onto his lap, warming my whole body. I sighed as I laid my head on his chest and breathed in his forest-y scent. Maybe I had it wrong, it isn't La Push that's my home, it's where ever Jacob is that's my home.
"Aria?" Jacob breathed into my neck sending chills down my spine and forcing my heart to thump against my ribs.
"Mmm?" I asked.
"Why are you practically naked?" he forced himself to laugh it out but I could feel his arousal against me.
"I'm in my underwear." I told him confused.
He didn't answer me; he just turned me to face him and kissed me so unexpectedly, with a fierce passion that I reciprocated. Our hands roamed each other's bodies as the kiss turned into something more. This is where we would usually force ourselves apart, uncertain of whether we should take it further but not tonight.
Jacob ripped my underwear off of me and laid me down on the bed beneath him. Still kissing him I unbuttoned his cut-off jeans and attempted to pull them down. He finished the job for me when I became too distracted in my own pleasure. He took me there and then, burring himself inside me forcing me to call out his name.
I woke up in Jacob's arms, our faces close together, our bodies meeting where ever possible. I smiled at him happily and sleepily which he replied with a small, soft kiss. Last night had been so perfect and I lost myself in all thoughts of him.
"I love you." He whispered into my hair pulling me out of my thoughts. I smiled and kissed his chest in reply, my voice to heavy with emotion to speak.
His arms wrapped around me tighter and pulled my naked body closer to his. "I wish I could wake up like this every morning." I tell him, my voice barely audible but I knew he heard me.
"Me too." There was silence between us for a while as we lost ourselves in thoughts of each other. "There are some vampires coming…" My eyes shot open and I pulled away a little to look at him. "It's why I was late last night… We don't know when they will get here… Patrols have doubled at least and…" His face saddened as he thought forwards to what he was about to say. "I don't know how much time I will be able to spend with you before you go, probably next to none."
I felt my heart break as I took in what he said to me. "So this is goodbye?" I looked up at him with tears glistening in my eyes.
"I think so."
I hid my face in his chest to hide how distraught I felt and tightened my grip on him. I would make it last I thought as I heard a wolf howl out in the distance, somewhere in the forest that was calling to him. Jacob tensed as he heard it and I knew that meant he was leaving. I felt my grip go weak, my body was letting him go, but my heart and head were pleading with it not to. He kissed me on the head and got up silently. He left the same way he had come in last night. I waited until I knew he was out of earshot before I started sobbing.
I had written letters to them all and delivered them on my way out of town. My stuff was packed up in both mine and mum and dad's car and I followed them in tears away from my home and out into the big wide world. Mum was going to drive my car home for me as I wouldn't afford to run it and wouldn't need to in the city.
Emily and Sam,
I'm going to miss you guys, especially your cooking, Em.
Keep an eye on baby Caleb for me, he's so sweet. Make
sure you send me loads of photos of him, I don't want to
miss anything! I got him a present, it's in the bag, hope you
like it. See you soon hopefully.
Aria.
Inside the bag was a little blue outfit for him.
Kim and Jared,
Whatever you do Kim, make sure to remind me
everyday a couple of weeks before the wedding to
book some kind of transport home for it. You know
how forgetful I can be. Also keep an extra eye on Caleb
for me. Miss you two already. Look inside the bag, it's
for you Kim. Hope it helps.
Aria.
Inside the bag there was a beautiful cream book, that when opened Kim found it was a wedding planner.
Rachel and Paul,
Don't get too angry at Jake, he really wants to do
well on his course and he'll need a lot of help with
the pack when he's busy. Remember it's very rare
for an imprint to not be around, so be easy on him.
Try help out with Billy too, Jake can't do everything
even though he thinks he can.
See you soon. Hope you like the gift.
Aria.
Inside the box was a folded thin quilt filled with memories of Rachel and Pauls history.
Quil,
Say goodbye to Claire for me, I know she won't really
understand. Tell her she can always ring me if she
needs me and remember to give her the gift. I know
you've got your hands full but keep an eye on Jake for
me, he needs you guys. Miss you.
Aria.
Inside the bag was a teddy for Claire dressed as a princess, she's seen it in a shop and wanted it.
Embry, Colin and Brady,
Hi you guys, don't miss me too much! And make sure
everyone keeps in touch, I'm not dead, I'm just at
school. Feel free to take a trip to me to get some sun!
Do me a favour, keep Jake occupied for a while till he
gets used to me not being around. Enjoy the present,
and have some fun for once.
Aria.
Inside the box was a huge crate full of beer with a label on that said "Have a party or something, just for the sake of it."
(JACOBS POINT OF VIEW!)
I arrived home to find a letter on the kitchen work surface with my name on the front in Aria's handwriting. I picked it up, it faintly smelled like her.
I was exhausted, the fight had ended with no casualties on our side, maybe a few scratches and bruises here and there but we heal fast so that's not a problem. I heard Billy say something and some other voice reply but I was too busy staring at the envelope in my hands to notice much. I finally tore my eyes away from it and looked up across the room to my dad. He smiled sadly at me for a moment and told me she had brought it round this morning.
It was 11pm and Charlie Swan was still here, the game had finished a while ago but the two were still chatting away happily. I left them to it and slowly stumbled my way to my room, more specifically my bed. I closed and locked the door behind me and fell onto my bed, letter still in my hand. I needed to make myself read it but it felt far too much like a goodbye if I did, so instead I stuffed it into my pocket and fell asleep thinking of Aria.
We were in the field in the clearing, the tall grass tickled my skin and I held her close to me. It was a warm sunny day, nothing like the usual for this part of the US and we were making the most of it. I could smell the strawberry shampoo she used for her beautiful long golden hair and I felt so warm, happy and content just lying there with her.
She was tickling my arm with one of the tiny blue flowers that surrounded us and I could feel her face break into a smile against my chest when my muscles tightened because of it. Her breath was warm against my chest and my heart beat fastened as she kissed my skin. "I wish we could stay here forever." She told me dreamily.
"We can, all the while we remember it, we can." I reassured her.
"I'll remember forever." She whispered into my skin.
I woke happily from the dream that was once reality but soon remembered why it felt like my heart was breaking. I could hear voices from the front room and got up to walk towards them. Rubbing my eyes as I tried to push out the sudden emptiness I felt, knowing Aria was no longer here, I came face to face with almost the entire pack. I looked at them all groggily, every single pair of eyes on me. I felt confusion cover my face. Why were they all looking at me like that?
"We came to see if you're okay". Rachel asked me, concern filling her face.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I asked them, my voice as thick with confusion as my face.
"Well we just thought…" She trailed off.
I waited. "Well…" Emily continued, pulling a letter out of her bag. "We figured you'd have one if we all did." The others pulled out letters too and I could see Aria's handwriting filling them.
I pulled out my own, still sealed letter and stared at it blankly for a while.
"You haven't read it?" Embry asked me. I shook my head. "What present did you get?" His voice sounded eager. I looked up confused. "We all got something, Caleb got clothes, we got beer, Claire got a teddy, they got a quilt, Kim got a wedding planner… What did you get?"
"There was only this on the counter." I replied my voice sounding far away.
No one spoke for a while, everyone, including me just stared at the unopened envelope.
"You should read it Jake." Rachel compelled me to. I just shook my head unable to look at any of them. "It might help. Aria wrote them for a reason. They all asked us to do things… Like she wants Kim to make sure she remembers to book a flight back for the wedding and stuff like that… She was trying to say goodbye without distracting anyone from the bloodsuckers."
I fell onto the couch, next to Embry who clapped his hand on my shoulder trying to tell me it will be alright. I opened it and pulled out the paper inside. Something fell into my lap; it was a key that looked as though it belonged to a Ford. I looked at the key for a while, why would she give me this? I sighed and opened the paper, not reading it at first, just looking at the words. The room went silent as I began to read it to myself.
Jake,
I've written this about ten times and it just doesn't seem good enough, so I keep throwing it away and starting again. I know that I'm just putting it off so this is the final copy, whether I like it or not.
I have to go now, well by the time you get this I will already be gone; who knows I might even already be in San Francisco by the time you read it. I don't want you to be sad okay? The time is going to go so quickly and before you know it I will be back for school vacation. I need you to be okay with me leaving, I'm not going to be gone forever; you just need to keep remembering that. I guess we both do. We're not stupid; we know that it's going to be hard, right? But I trust you, and I know you trust me, so it's more of just a waiting game than anything else.
You don't need to worry about me either! I can look after myself, I did have a life before I came to Washington, I'm used to the big bad world remember. I'm really looking forward to starting school and you should be too, I don't want you being all sad and ruining it for yourself. Promise me you won't do that?
No arguing with me on this one, just do stuff with the guys and enjoy your gift and go to all the college parties, and for once in a long time be a teenager again. You're more than just an Alpha wolf and you need to take some time to remember that. College is going to be great, I want you to make a ton of new friends and take as many classes as you can fit into your schedule and just enjoy it. That's the plan for both of us, okay?
I love you. I always have since the second our eyes met that day on the beach. And I will love you forever, I have no choice right? Even if I did, I would choose you. You mean the world to me and more, the universe even, so don't go forgetting me in all the fun you're going to have, because I know I would never be able to forget you.
There are a lot of ways we can keep in touch, text me, ring me, e-mail me, write to me even, and just make sure that you do okay? So this is my first letter, make sure you write back somehow. I know you'll probably need some time, but I'll be waiting to hear from you.
I love you so much.
Aria.
P.S. Take the key out to your garage, take a look at my gift to you. I hope it keeps you busy and helps you to be okay with this. I'll see you soon.
I finished reading and let the letter fall to my lap fighting back the tears that I wouldn't let fall in front of the pack. I missed her so much that my heart ached. I should have let her say all of that in person, I should have made time to say goodbye to her, vampire attack or not.
I looked around at them and one by one they unfolded their letters and read them to me. Sharing her last goodbyes with me, I fought back the tears and gripped onto the key still in my hand like it was my life line. I handed my letter to Embry who was still sat there next to me and he read it aloud to everyone.
When he finished I couldn't stop the tear that rolled down my cheek but I wiped it away and stood up, heading for the front door and my garage. The others followed me, and we all stood, shocked and silent as we looked upon my gift. It was an old Ford Mustang, my dream car. It looked like it needed a lot of work but I think that that was Aria's point. She wanted me to work away the hurt.
I started laughing then, suddenly, but I wasn't sad anymore, I was full of joy, and I knew that that was her intention. The others joined me in unlocking that car and taking a good look at it. I sat in the driver's seat and pulled the sun visor down, there taped down was a small photo of me and Aria and next to it was one she had painted with the words "Remember, I love you" underneath. "I love you too." I whispered.
That's the end. I'm thinking of maybe writing a sequel, of the letters that they send to each other over the course of their degrees and add in their school vacations when Aria comes home. Maybe the Cullen's have left and the Denali clan stay in their house so the pack grows and put some twists in. Just wondering what you guys think about that idea. Let me know in the reviews, so I know whether to get started!
I just want to say thanks to everyone for reading it, putting it on alert and reviewing!
Jordan
