Chapter 10:
"Hey Lexi!" I looked up
"Hey Bells," I smiled
"I need you," she said, I raised an eyebrow
"For what?" I narrowed my eyes, she rolled her eyes
"I've invited Jacob hiking, there was this place I found once, will you come with us?" she rushed, I looked surprised
"Um… sure?" I said "Why?"
"Well, I don't know how good Jake is with this sort of stuff, but I know you're good at it from when you were a kid…"
"You do remember that Jake came with me then?" I reminded her, she looked embarrassed
"Well two heads are better than one," she decided with a shrug
"Hiking, while there's a huge bear," I said, though I didn't believe that anymore. It wasn't bears I'd seen in the woods that day. I saw Bella frown. "I'm definitely in," I smiled, she looked surprised
"Really?" she asked
"Bella, this is me, of course I'm coming, plus you invited me, and you seem very excited." I admitted, she smiled and shrugged
"Thanks,"
"When are we going?"
"Saturday." she answered, I thought
"After your shift?" I wondered, she nodded "Awesome, I'll meet you…"
"At Jake's." Bella said
"Alright." I nodded
"Thanks Lex," she smiled
"No problem." I was surprised how excited she was for this.
So come Saturday afternoon I turned up at Jake's, he was already for the hike. He looked at me surprised when I turned up at his door.
"Lexi," he said. I knew there and then that Bella had forgot to tell him I was coming.
"Hey,"
"Look, I'm really sorry but…" he began
"You're going hiking," I smirked, walking past him.
"Y-Yeah" he said confused.
"I go to school with Bella remember."
"I know…"
"Well, much to my surprise, she invited me to come hiking with the two of you, but I came here a little earlier to first ask you if that was alright with you," I explained
"She invited you?"
"Yeah… it was weird," I muttered "She was awfully excited." Jacob suddenly gave me a hug and spun me around. I had to duck as my head almost hit the celling.
"Are you kidding, if you're there then this day just get better!" he said putting me down
"How?" I questioned
"Don't you remember our hikes together?" he asked, I smirked
"Of course I do,"
"Then there's you answer." he smiled. I rolled my eyes
"Well then, it's good I still dressed for the occasion." I was wearing jeans, like always, with my hiking boots, jacket and three quarter top.
"I hope Bella got the right stuff," Jacob muttered
"Hey, she said she'd done it before." I shrugged. He nodded.
Bella turned up not long later, wearing almost the same as me but with more layers.
We didn't get started immediately; first, Jacob and I sprawled across the living room floor — taking up the whole room — and, for a full twenty minutes, we drew a complicated web across the key section of the map while Bella perched on a kitchen chair and talked to Billy. Billy didn't seem at all concerned about our proposed hiking trip. For some reason the only people who wanted us out of the woods were the Forks people. The council members weren't at all concerned about the 'bear' anymore. Bella was surprised that Jacob had told him where we were going, given this reason.
"Maybe we'll see the super bear," Jacob joked, eyes on his design. Billy just laughed at his son.
"Maybe you should take a jar of honey, just in case." Jake chuckled.
"Hope your new boots are fast, Bella. One little jar isn't going to keep a hungry bear occupied for long."
"I only have to be faster than you." Bella thought
"Good luck with that!" Jacob said,
"It's not that hard, I'm faster than you," I reminded him. He rolled his eyes as he refolded the map. "Besides, the jar of honey wouldn't last, Jake would eat it before we began the walk." I joked,
"You're more likely to have eaten it with that sweet tooth of yours." he said back, I smirked and didn't deny it. We stood up
"Let's go." Jake told Bella.
"Have fun," Billy rumbled, wheeling himself toward the refrigerator.
"We will." I smiled. Bella drove to the very end of a dirt road, stopping near the sign that marked the beginning of the trailhead. We got out and Bella looked at the dense wall of green.
"I went this way," she murmured, pointing straight ahead.
"Hmm," Jake muttered.
"What?" He looked at the direction she'd pointed, then at the clearly marked trail, and back.
"I would have figured you for a trail kind of girl."
"Not me." she smiled bleakly. "I'm a rebel." Jake wasn't the only one who laughed
"What? The straight 'A' student?" I wondered, Bella smiled at me before Jacob pulled out our map.
"Give me a second." He held the compass in a skilled way, twisting the map around till it
angled the way he wanted.
"Okay, first line on the grid. Let's do it." he decided and we started doing just that.
Bella wasn't as fast as Jacob and I was, I'd had years of experience in both keeping up with Jake and tracking through the woods so I wasn't having as hard of a time keeping up with his long legs as Bella was. We didn't complain though, it wasn't that bad.
Jacob was awfully cheerful as we walked, he whistled cheerfully, a familiar tune, swinging his arms and moving easily through the rough undergrowth. The tune was something I'd heard before but I couldn't remember exactly were.
"Have you ever tried doing gymnastics here?" Jacob asked me at one point. I thought
"I think so, but I'm not very good at avoiding everything." I admitted.
"Can you show me?" Bella asked, I looked at her a little surprised. I shrugged and looked around before I walked forwards. I took a breath before I did cartwheels, summersaults and other flips until I was about ten metres away.
"Wow," Bella said.
"That was good," Jacob said as they walked towards me "Almost like you did do it all the time."
"You were so graceful." Bella smiled
"Practice," I sighed with a shrug.
Jacob checked the compass every few minutes, keeping us in a straight line with one of the radiating spokes of his grid. Every now and then he'd ask me on my opinion or for my help just to be sure but he really didn't need it. He was doing fine without my help.
"Hey... Jake?" Bella asked hesitantly after a while of silence
"Yeah?"
"How are things... with Embry? Is he back to normal yet?" silence dawned for a minute as we continued to move forward. Jacob was about two yards ahead of me and ten ahead of Bella. He stopped to wait for us both.
"No. He's not back to normal," Jacob said when Bella reached us, his mouth pulling down at the corners. He didn't start walking again.
"You?" he asked me.
"Nope," I sighed. "I'll let you know the second he talks to me though." I promised.
"Still with Sam." Bella asked
"Yup." He put an arm around both our shoulders.
"Are they still looking at you funny?" Bella half-whispered. Jacob stared through the trees.
"Sometimes."
"And Billy?"
"As helpful as ever," he said in a sour, angry voice.
"Lex?" Bella asked
"I don't even bother." I said not looking at her.
"Our couch is always open," Bella offered. He laughed, breaking out of the unnatural gloom.
"But think of the position that would put Charlie in – when Billy calls the police to report my kidnapping." Bells and I laughed too
"That would be a funny conversation to listen too," I confessed thinking about it.
We stopped when Jacob said we'd gone six miles, cut west for a short time, and headed back along another line of his grid. Bella admitted that her silly quest was pretty much doomed. She believed it more as it got darker, the sunless day fading toward a starless night, but Jacob was more confident than she was.
"As long as you're sure we're starting from the right place..." He glanced down at her.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Then we'll find it," he promised,
"We're not gonna find it in the dark," I confessed with a grin
"How about we pick it up later?" Jacob suggested, Bella looked up at the ever growing dark sky and nodded. Jacob and I began to track back towards Bella's car, but Bella was useless in the dark, so Jacob grabbed her hand and pulled her through a mass of ferns. On the other side was the truck. He gestured toward it proudly.
"Trust me."
"You're good," Bella admitted. "Next time we bring flashlights, though."
"We'll save hiking for Sundays from now on. I didn't know you were that slow." Jacob chuckled as Bella yanked her hand back and stomped around to the driver's side while Jacob and I chuckled at her reaction.
"So you up for another try tomorrow.'" Jacob asked, sliding into the passenger seat of the car after me.
"Sure. Unless you want to go without me so I don't tie you down to my gimpy pace."
"You're not that bad Bells, remember Jacob's just a freak with long legs," I smirked. Jacob hit my arm
"Ow," I complained, but it didn't hurt that much and he rolled his eyes at me before turning back to Bella.
"I'll survive," he assured her. "If we're hiking again, though, you might want to pick up some moleskin. I bet you can feel those new boots right now."
"A little," Bella confessed.
"I hope we see the bear tomorrow. I'm sort of disappointed about that." I shut my trap, I wasn't sure how to explain that giant wolves had saved me from a sort of dead girl.
"Yes, me, too," Bella agreed sarcastically. "Maybe we'll get lucky tomorrow and something will eat us!"
"Bears don't want to eat people. We don't taste that good." He grinned at Bella in the dark cab.
"Unless their hungry enough," I shrugged.
"Of course, you might be an exception. I bet you'd taste good." Jacob joked
"Thanks so much," Bella said, looking away.
Time passed and Jacob, Bella and I began to switch through tasks, between the hiking every Sunday, Bella getting better with her bike, which meant fewer bandages to worry Charlie. And the homework groups that they'd insisted that I joined in, I only joined in on one though.
Today was one of those days and Jacob and I were sitting on his porch while waiting for Bella to turn up.
"What did you get her?" I asked
"Chocolates," he said obviously
"What type?" I said more specifically. He shrugged
"You're useless," I sighed but smiled at him "It's a good thing it's the thought that counts."
"Did you give chocolates to anyone"
"Not someone I love/like…" I said in a weird way
"What do you mean?" he wondered
"I give chocolates to all my friends," I shrugged
"Where's mine?" Jacob wondered, I placed on in his hand
"There," I pointed"
"Thanks," he smirked, I shrugged
"No problem." I shrugged. If you asked me valentines day was just a day were more people confessed who they liked than other days. A day when you find out who's liked the most in school or the least, especially seeing as chocolates are given out either the Friday before or the Monday after when it's on a weekend like this year.
It didn't take long for Bella to rock up and Jacob walked up to her happily.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Jacob said, smiling, but ducking his head as he greeted her.
He held out a small, pink box, balancing it on his palm. Conversation hearts.
"Well, I feel like a schmuck," I heard Bella mumbled. "Is today Valentine's Day?" Jacob shook his head with mock sadness.
"You can be so out of it sometimes. Yes, it is the fourteenth day of February. So are you going to be my Valentine? Since you didn't get me a fifty-cent box of candy, it's the least you can do." I gapped
"Fifty-cents?!" I asked ashamed "I spent more than that," I muttered, Jacob turned and smirked at me.
"What exactly does that entail?" Bella hedged.
"The usual – slave for life, that kind of thing." Jacob shrugged
"Oh, well, if that's all..." Bella took the candy.
"So, what are we doing tomorrow? Hiking, or the ER?" Jacob wondered as I approached the two.
"Hiking," Bella decided. "You're not the only one who can be obsessive. I'm starting to think I imagined that place..." she frowned into space.
"We'll find it," he assured her.
"You know we could just use the internet to find it, they have maps on there now," I smirked
"Where's the fun in that?" Jacob asked
"Well considering you have to memorise were it is and then put in on the hard copy of the map in your hand, then you need to…" he cut me off
"I get it," he sighed. I grinned at him. "So, bikes Friday?" he offered us. I looked Bella, she was the one learning not me.
"I'm going to a movie Friday. I've been promising my cafeteria crowd that I would go out forever." Bella said
"Really?" I asked, Bella nodded "Where's my invite?" I muttered
"Weren't you invited?" Bella asked
"I don't think so…" I thought, she smirked
"Well you're included in the group, you should come," she offered
"I don't know, I do spend enough time with you as it is…" I began, she rolled her eyes and I grinned
"I'd love to," I smiled. Jacob wasn't as pleased by the arrangement as his face fell. Bella seemed to catch the expression in his dark eyes before he dropped them to look at the ground.
"You'll come too, right?" she added quickly. "Or will it be too much of a drag with a bunch of boring seniors?" I raised an eyebrow at her, Mike wouldn't like that. She saw my look and shrugged
"You'd like me to come, with your friends there?" Jacob asked surprised, he looked at me and I nodded before he turned to Bella again
"Yes," she admitted honestly. "I'll have a lot more fun if you're there. Bring Quil, and we'll make it a party." Quil and senior girls…
"Quil's gonna freak. Senior girls." He chortled and rolled his eyes. I laughed
"I was just thinking that!" I smirked
"I'll try to get him a good selection." Bella promised.
Bella got right on to making plans, inviting everyone. We'd planned to take both my car and Mike's Suburban but it turned out it wasn't necessary, Jessica and Lauren claimed to be busy as soon as Mike let it slip that Bella was involved in the planning. Eric and Katie already had plans — it was their three - week anniversary or something.
Lauren got to Tyler and Conner before Mike could, so those two were also busy. Even Quil was out — grounded for fighting at school. In the end, only Angela and Ben, and, of course
Jacob, were able to go. The diminished numbers didn't dampen Mike's anticipation, though. It was all he could talk about Friday. I guessed seeing as I was coming too it made even numbers and he'd jumped to conclusions, getting his hopes up, again.
"Are you sure you don't want to see Tomorrow and Forever instead?" he asked at lunch, naming the current romantic comedy that was ruling the box office. "Rotten Tomatoes gave it a better review."
"I want to see Crosshairs" Bella insisted. "I'm in the mood for action. Bring on the blood and guts!" I sighed, so she couldn't see romance yet.
"Okay." Mike turned away. As school ended I got a message from Jake, reading it I immediately turned to find Bella
"Bells," I called, she turned to me and I gave her the phone
"Surprise?" she asked, I shrugged and she read again
"He's at my house?"
"Come on, let's go!" I ushered before getting into my car. Being fast than hers I got to her house just a minute before her. Jake was there and he was leaning against a very familiar car was parked in front of her house.
"No way!" Bella shouted as she jumped out of the truck. "You're done! I can't believe it! You finished the Rabbit!"
"I can't believe you finished it without me!" I said as I opened the door and stood up to look over it before jumping out and walking towards them both
"Sorry Lex," I frowned and gave him a puppy dog look. He smiled at me though.
"When'd you finish it?" I demanded to know. He beamed.
"Just last night. This is the maiden voyage."
"Incredible." Bella held her hand up for a high five. He smacked his hand against her's, but left it there, twisting his fingers through her's.
"So do I get to drive tonight?"
"Definitely," Bella said,
"You better," I ordered. The mood was ruined when Bella sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm giving up — I can't top this one. So you win. You're oldest." He shrugged, unsurprised by Bella's capitulation.
"Of course I am."
"Excuse me!" I said
"Sorry Lex, but I'm better," he shrugged
"Ha," I said not giving up. Mike's Suburban chugged around the corner. Bella pulled her hand out of Jacob's, and he made a face that she wasn't meant to see.
"I remember this guy," he said in a low voice as Mike parked across the street. "The one who thought you were his girlfriend. Is he still confused?" Bella raised one eyebrow.
"Some people are hard to discourage."
"Then again," Jacob said thoughtfully, "sometimes persistence pays off."
"Yeah, but sometimes persistence can annoy others too," I muttered annoyed. Jacob grinned at me.
"Come on…" he began, Bella cut him off
"Most of the time it's annoying." she agreed with me. I gave Jake a look and he rolled his eyes at me. Mike got out of his car and crossed the road.
"Hey, Bella," he greeted her, and then his eyes turned wary as he looked up at Jacob. I glanced briefly at Jacob, too, trying to be objective. He really didn't look like a sophomore at all. He was just so big — Mike's head barely cleared Jacob's shoulder.
"Hey, Mike! Do you remember Jacob Black?"
"Not really." Mike held out his hand.
"Old family friend," Jacob introduced himself, shaking hands. "Known Alexis since we were toddlers," he nodded. They locked hands with more force than necessary. When their grip broke, Mike flexed his fingers. We heard the phone ringing from the kitchen.
"I'd better get that — it might be Charlie," Bella told us before she dashed inside. There was silence between the three of us and I could feel the tension building between the two boys, even as no words were said.
"Ang is sick," Bella told us glumly. "She and Ben aren't coming."
"I guess the flu is making another round. Austin and Conner were out today, too. Maybe we should do this another time," Mike suggested. I could see Bella was about to agree before Jacob spoke.
"I'm still up for it. But if you'd rather to stay behind, Mike —"
"No, I'm coming," Mike interrupted. "I was just thinking of Angela and Ben. Let's go." He started toward his Suburban.
"I'm not getting in that thing," I said immediately to Bella and Jacob "Especially when the rabbit's an option."
"Hey, do you mind if Jacob drives?" Bella asked. "I told him he could — he just finished his car. He built it from scratch, all by himself," Bella bragged, proud as a PTA mom with a student on the principal's list.
"Fine," Mike snapped.
"All right, then," Jacob said, as if that settled everything. He seemed more comfortable than Bella and Mike. I turned around, walking next to Jacob to the Rabbit
"He doesn't like you," I muttered
"I noticed." Jacob smirked. I rolled my eyes as we all climbed into the car. Mike climbed in the backseat of the Rabbit next to me with a disgusted expression. Jacob was his normal sunny self while Mike sulked silently in the back. I was over his moping and was leaning forwards to join in with Jake's conversation.
And then Mike changed his strategy. He leaned forward next to me and rested his chin on the shoulder of Bella's seat; his cheek almost touched her's. She shifted away, turning her back toward the window.
"Doesn't the radio work in this thing?" Mike asked with a hint of petulance, interrupting Jacob mid-sentence.
"Yes," Jacob answered. "But Bella doesn't like music." Bella looked at him surprised, so I wasn't the only one who'd noticed she didn't like listening to it.
"Bella?" Mike asked, annoyed.
"He's right," she mumbled, still looking at Jacob's serene profile.
"How can you not like music?" Mike demanded. Bella shrugged.
"I don't know. It just irritates me."
"Hmph." Mike leaned away. Jacob sent me a look and I smirked and gave him a wink, telling him nice going without using my words. He understood me.
When we got to the theatre, Jacob handed Bella a ten-dollar bill.
"What's this?" she objected.
"I'm not old enough to get into this one," he reminded her. I chuckled
"So much for relative ages. Is Billy going to kill me if I sneak you in?"
"No. I told him you were planning to corrupt my youthful innocence." Bella snickered
"What innocence?" I asked confused, Jacob smirked while Mike quickened his pace to keep up with us.
The movie was exactly what Bella described. In just the opening credits, four people got blown up and one got beheaded. The girl in front of Bella put her hands over her eyes and turned her face into her date's chest. He patted her shoulder, and winced occasionally, too.
Mike didn't look like he was watching. His face was stiff as he glared toward the fringe of curtain above the screen. Jacob was fine, I was sitting on his other side while Bella was between him and Mike. It was hard to concentrate on the movie when Jacob had started sniggering.
"What?" Bella whispered.
"Oh, c'mon!" he hissed back. "The blood squirted twenty feet out of that guy. How fake can you get?" He chuckled again, as a flagpole speared another man into a concrete wall.
"Do you have to ruin it?" I smirked, he shrugged
"Sorry," Jacob had done this since he was maybe ten, he'd never been the type to scare at scary movies. Hey, I'd been attacked by a dead girl and saw three giant wolves chase after her faster than I could watch. And because I'd grown up with Jake, I could see the movie the way he did.
After that though, Bella stared to really watched the show, laughing with us as the mayhem got more and more ridiculous.
Bella had looked at me around Jacob not long after and I'd noticed her look. She glanced at both the hands on the armrests, occupied by the boys. Both of their hands rested lightly, palms up, in an unnatural looking position. Like steel bear traps, open and ready. I looked at them and then shrugged, I didn't know what to do. Wasn't nothing a good answer? Bella folded her arms tightly across her chest when I shrugged, I could tell she was hoping that both their hands fell asleep.
Mike gave up first. About halfway through the movie, he pulled his arm back, and leaned forward to put his head in his hands. The movement caught my eye but I ignored it, what I didn't ignore was the moan that left his mouth.
"Mike, are you okay?" I heard Bella whisper. I leaned forwards and Jake gave me a look as I leaned semi-across him. The couple in front of us turned to look at him as he groaned again. You could see the sheen of sweat across his forehead from where I was sitting. Mike groaned again, and bolted for the door. Bella and I got up to follow him, and Jacob got up to do the same.
"No, stay," Bella whispered. "I'll make sure he's okay."
"Yeah right," I muttered pushing past her. I wasn't staying, who knows, Bella alone with Mike can't be good. Jacob came with us anyway.
"You don't have to come. Get your eight bucks worth of carnage," Bella insisted as we walked up the aisle.
"That's okay. You sure can pick them, Bella. This movie really sucks." His voice rose from a whisper to its normal pitch as we walked out of the theatre.
"It only sucks cause you ruined it," I muttered, he smirked.
There was no sign of Mike in the hallway, and Bella and I were glad then that Jacob had come with us — he ducked into the men's bathroom to check for him there.
Jacob was back in a few seconds.
"Oh, he's in there, all right," he said, rolling his eyes. "What a marshmallow. You should hold out for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit." I rolled my eyes before walking over to the vending machine near by.
"I'll keep my eyes open for someone like that." Bella said as I walked away. I pulled out some small change and paid for three drinks, no way was Mike going to be able to stomach one now, whether it was a solid or not. It took a while for the three drinks to come out before I carried them back to Jacob and Bella. They were sitting on a velveteen upholstered bench together. I reached them when Jacob poked Bella in the ribs. She rolled her eyes. He chuckled quietly for a minute while his pinky finger absently traced designs against the side of her hand.
"Here," I handed them, they looked at me surprised "Yeah, I'm still here." I winked, they both blushed and took a can each from me. Jacob opened his before going back to tracing patterns on Bella's hand.
"That's a funny scar you've got there," he suddenly said, twisting Bella's hand to examine it. "How did that happen?" The index finger of his free hand followed the line of the long silvery crescent that was barely visible against Bella's pale skin. I scowled.
"Do you honestly expect me to remember where all my scars come from?" I looked at it, leaning over. This scar was different. It wasn't just a scar, it looked almost like a bite.
"It's cold," Jacob murmured, pressing lightly against the scar. And then Mike stumbled out of the bathroom, his face ashen and covered in sweat. He looked horrible.
"Oh, Mike," Bella gasped.
"Do you mind leaving early?" he whispered.
"No, of course not." Bella pulled her hand free and went to help Mike walk. He looked unsteady.
"Movie too much for you?" Jacob asked heartlessly. I looked at him, surprised by the tone of his voice. Mike's glare was malevolent.
"I didn't actually see any of it," he mumbled. "I was nauseated before the lights went down."
"Why didn't you say something?" Bella scolded as we staggered toward the exit.
"I was hoping it would pass," he said.
"Just a sec," Jacob said as we reached the door. He walked quickly back to the concession stand.
"Could I have an empty popcorn bucket?" he asked the salesgirl. She looked at Mike once, and then thrust a bucket at Jacob.
"Get him outside, please," she begged. She was obviously the one who would have to clean the floor. Bella towed Mike out into the cool, wet air. He inhaled deeply. Jacob was right behind us. He helped Bella get Mike into the back of the car, and handed him the bucket with a serious gaze.
"Please," was all Jacob said.
We rolled down the windows, letting the icy night air blow through the car, hoping it would help Mike. I felt the worst, I was sitting next to him.
"Cold, again?" Jacob asked, I looked up to see him putting his arm around Bella, who was curled up in a ball.
"You're not?" He shook his head.
"You must have a fever or something," Bella grumbled. She touched her fingers to his forehead, and his head was hot.
"Whoa, Jake — you're burning up!"
"I feel fine." He shrugged. "Fit as a fiddle." Bella frowned and touched his head again.
"Your hands are like ice," he complained. I sat up, suddenly remembering something' when Embry had come down with his fever, before he missed school and joined Sam, he'd snapped at me. Now Jacob had made a heartless comment towards Mike and was burning up, I suddenly felt like I was having deja vu.
"Maybe it's me," Bella allowed.
Mike groaned in the backseat, and threw up in the bucket. I grimaced and jumped as far away as possible. Jacob checked anxiously over his shoulder to make sure his car wasn't defiled.
The road felt longer on the way back and Jacob was quiet, thoughtful. He left his arm around Bella.
When we got back to Bella's, Bella drove Mike home in his Suburban, while Jacob followed behind to take her home. I'd just stayed in Jake's car, jumping into the front seat, we were going back to Bella's anyway so I left mine sitting there.
Jacob was quiet all the way back to Bella's house. I was still wondering about the fever, it was scaring me, and more than my usual weird six sense that I got when bad things seemed to be about to happen.
"I would invite myself in, since we're early," he said as we pulled up next to Bella's truck. "But I think you might be right about the fever. I'm starting to feel a little… strange." I began to panic! I wasn't the only one.
"Oh no, not you, too! Do you want me to drive you home?" Bella asked
"No." He shook his head, his eyebrows pulling together. "I don't feel sick yet. Just… wrong. If I have to, I'll pull over."
"Will you call me as soon as you get in?" Bella asked anxiously.
"Sure, sure." He frowned, staring ahead into the darkness and biting his lip. I watched him, not at all making a move to leave the car. Bella opened her door to get out, but Jacob grabbed her wrist lightly and held her there.
"What is it, Jake?" she asked.
"There's something I want to tell you, Bella… but I think it's going to sound kind of corny."
Bella sighed.
"Go ahead."
"It's just that, I know how you're unhappy a lot. And, maybe it doesn't help anything, but I wanted you to know that I'm always here. I won't ever let you down — I promise that you can always count on me. Wow, that does sound corny. But you know that, right? That I would never, ever hurt you?"
"Yeah, Jake. I know that. And I already do count on you, probably more than you know."
The smile broke across his face the way the sunrise set the clouds on fire. I didn't smile at how cute that was, Bella might have stopped worrying but I hadn't. A strange look crossed his face.
"I really think I'd better go home now," he said. Bella got out quickly.
"I'm following you home," I said immediately. He was about to argue when he opened his mouth, he looked at me, I guess my worry was written all over my face because he didn't bother. I got out and ran to my car, started it up and raced after Jacob.
The reason I had a bad feeling was because after Embry's fever, he'd cut us all out. I didn't need that happening with Jacob, I wouldn't be able to take that, not with Jake.
We reached his house and he began to stagger, just like Embry. I ran to his side and helped him, well tried. I felt my eyes well up with tears, I was probably over reacting but I couldn't risk it.
"Why are you crying?" he asked me
"Jake, make me a promise too," I began. He looked at me surprised, I think he assumed the wrong thing cause his expression changed after I spoke next "Don't stop talking to me like Embry did," I felt a tear run down my cheek. He looked at me stunned
"I'd never do that," he promised
"Embry probably thought that too." I reminded him, he frowned
"I promise," he said, I didn't actually want to hear it, I was so scared he wasn't going to be able to keep it. I walked him to the front door, but before I helped him inside I gave him a huge hug. I think he realised how worried I was now
"Don't worry Lex, what would I do without you?" he asked
"Crash and burn," I shrugged, it didn't sound as funny as it should have cause my voice was shaky. But he chucked anyway.
"Billy," I called when we entered the house, he came wheeling out from down the corridor
"What's wrong?" he asked, more tears escaped
"He has a fever," Billy understood immediately, just like he had with Embry
"Take him to his room." he ordered, but I could see the pity in his face when he looked at me. I nodded and obeyed before lying him down.
"It's just a fever Lex," Jake said
"You say that now, I mean look at Embry."
"What's this got to do with any of that?" he wondered
"Embry had a really bad fever before everything happened to him too," I said "I'm not the only one who'll be crushed if the same thing happens to you." I reminded him of the promise he'd just made Bella.
"Alexis, you need to go home, I don't want you to catch it." Billy ordered
"I can't catch this!" I shot at him, but I obeyed his order anyway. I looked back at Jacob and he looked utterly concerned for me before Billy shut the door between us.
I cried the whole way home and then snuck into the house so that I didn't need to talk to anyone. I couldn't be sure this fever was the signal to the boys behaviour, but it was giving me that bad feeling and that was bad enough. I got changed and then climbed into bed, before crying myself to sleep.