Tuesday morning, Lilly walked to school, letting the crisp wind wake up her senses. When she reached the school parking lot, she found most of the pack surrounding Jared's truck. She frowned, realizing several of them had serious, grim, or flat out angry expressions on their faces as they talked.
She approached them and looked expectantly among them, silently demanding an answer when they turned to greet her.
Embry gave her a grim smile, almost a grimace. "It's nothing bad, Lilly. We're just talking about…you know, Bella."
She nodded slowly, still a bit confused. She knew the Swan girl was supposed to be back in town by now after visiting her mom with her vampire boyfriend, what was there to talk about?
"Sam needed someone to go talk to the Cullens this morning, you know, to warn them about staying off our territory after what happened Sunday."
Lilly nodded again, this time with more vigor. That seemed rather obvious.
Quil sighed tiredly. "Jake volunteered."
Lilly made an 'o' with her mouth, realizing Jake wasn't among the group. Actually, he was the only one currently missing apart from Sam and Leah.
Jared nodded, "Yeah. We all figure he's mainly going to make sure Bella's still human. He'll give Cullen the warning, but Bella's the main reason he went."
Lilly nodded again in understanding, her eyes fixed on the ground. She didn't know why Jake's…obsession with Bella bothered her so much.
After another few minutes of discussing the issue, everyone headed inside to get to their first class.
She sat next to Quil in first period History, her eyes repeatedly straying to the classroom door. Jake didn't show up at all the first class. By the time lunch rolled around without so much as a sniff of Jacob, it was safe to assume he wasn't coming to school, probably to spend the day with Bella Swan.
XXX
Jake grinned down at Bella as he pushed his bike around his house toward the garage. They'd just road around some back roads for a couple hours before heading back to hang out at the garage. He knew Sam and his dad were going to skin him alive for skipping school, but he hadn't had the chance to hang out with Bells since she went to save her bloodsucker.
"So, how've things been with you lately?" Bella asked, looking up at him.
Jake thought about it. "I guess they've been okay. You know, apart from school and turning into a giant dog in my spare time." he joked.
"Has anything happened lately with the pack besides chasing Victoria?"
"Well, we've got three new members since you last came around. Quil, Seth, and Leah."
"Leah? A girl? I didn't think girls phased."
"We didn't, either. She's the first on record. Her and Seth both, really. She's the first girl and he's the youngest we've ever had. He's just fifteen years old. Sam's been trying to keep him off patrols so he can catch up on his studying, but the kid's been chomping at the bit. I almost wish he'd keep Leah off patrols, too." he grumbled the last sentence.
Bella elbowed his arm. "Come on, Jake, don't be such a guy."
"No, it's not a chick thing. It's a…triangle thing. We all have to live the Leah-Sam-Emily pain fest. You know, wolf mind."
Bella frowned up at him. "Wait, what? You mean, Sam dumped Leah for Emily?"
Jake grimaced. "No, it's a bit more complicated than that. Sam hates himself for hurting Leah. But…Emily was the one." he stated almost sarcastically.
"Yeah, I guess it sorta chooses you sometimes." Bella looked down awkwardly.
Jake almost snorted. "No, it's more than just some crush. Sam imprinted on Emily."
"Do I even want to know what that is?"
By that point they'd entered the garage and Jake knocked the kickstand down while Bella leaned back against the other bike.
Jake leaned forward, one hand on the bike's handlebar, the other on the seat as he thought about his words.
He started slowly, his eyes gazing over at Bella. "Imprinting on someone is like…" Bella's brown eyes looked wrong, so he looked down at the floor instead, trying to remember how it felt, "like when you see her,…everything changes…All of a sudden it's not gravity holding you to the planet." Lilly's face swam into his vision, her cinnamon and green apple scent filling his nostrils, "It's her. Nothing else matters. You would do anything… Be anything for her."
"It sounds like you know the feeling." Bella's awkward voice broke through Jake's thoughts, and he looked over at her. He pushed his conflicting feelings into the back of his head, trying to put Lilly out of his mind. When Bella's words registered in his mind, he looked down, unable to meet her searching eyes. She immediately caught on. "Have you…imprinted on someone?" she asked. It almost sounded like her tone was accusing.
Jake swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing as his eyes slowly rose up to meet hers.
Bella searched his eyes, looking lost in her thoughts. "Was it…that girl? The one that had a panic attack in the hospital?"
"She had every right to react that way." Jake gritted out, instinctively defending his imprint. He may not have any romantic feelings for Lilly, but anyone who saw a vampire kill their parents would panic when face-to-face with one. It was common sense. It was human.
"You did!" Bella shouted, standing upright. Jake winced. "Why? You don't even know her, and now you're suddenly in love with her?"
"It's not like that." Jake growled, his fist clenching around the handlebar. "I have no romantic feelings for her, she's a friend. Nothing more."
"Until she needs more, right? That's what you just said. If she needs you to love her, you will, you won't get any choice!" Bella shouted, outraged.
"Enough!" Jake shouted, grabbing a wrench off a bench and chucking it at the wall. Bella flinched and everything went silent for a few moments.
"I'm not lying to you, Bella. I have no romantic feelings for Lilly. We're barely friends, she hangs out with the pack more than she does me. I'm just…her protector." Jake spoke quietly, his voice carrying easily in the silence. Finally, he turned and looked at the girl he'd been in love with for so long. At one point he would've smirked or done a silent cheer at the fact that Bella…was jealous at the thought of Jake being in love with another girl. He should've been happy. But he felt indifferent.
Shaking those thoughts away, he cleared his throat. "Look, this is the first time we've hung out in a few weeks, Bells. Can we please not spend it fighting? Lilly is just a friend, nothing more. I'm still me, and we're still…us. Right?"
Bella smiled, but Jake could still see the worry and doubt. They pushed forward, anyway. They spent the day in the garage, then ate lunch on the living room couch in front of the TV. When it neared 4:00 he knew he should head over to Sam and Emily's to check in, or else Sam would have his head.
XXX
Lilly made her way through the rest of her classes for the day until she was finally leaving her last class.
Unfortunately, her plan to go straight to her locker and get the heck out of school was delayed by a group of girls standing in her way.
"Hey, Mute. How was your day?" Bridgette asked in a sweet voice, "Oh, wait. I forgot, you can't answer that question." Diana and Julie giggled like it was hilarious. Then, Bridgette stepped forward, getting in Lilly's face. "I've noticed you getting a bit friendly with the guys in the La Push Gang, and I'm telling you, they're out of your league by miles. And Paul…well, I can easily get any guy I want, and Paul is an amazing lay. Unfortunately, he seems rather fond of you and hasn't been giving me the attention I need. So, I'm warning you just this once. Stay away from him." she stated firmly, glaring down into Lilly's face.
Probably not her best move, but Lilly couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Bridgette's eyes flashed in anger before her hand rose. One second, Lilly was fine, the next, her head was snapped to the side, her right cheek stinging, and her eyes and mouth open in shock.
She slowly turned back to stare up at Bridgette, who met her gaze with a glare before turning and stomping down the hall.
Lilly stood there for a moment in shock, her hand slowly leaving her pile of books and raising to touch her burning cheek. She winced when her fingertips touched the tender skin.
'I really hope that doesn't bruise,' she thought to herself, heading to her locker. She knew if the guys saw a mark on her cheek they'd flip.
She reached her locker and put the couple things she'd need for homework in her backpack before heading for the front door. She could tell by the constant burning in her cheek that her skin was at least red, if not bruised.
She walked out the front doors slowly, dreading the interaction she knew she would have to face when she joined the guys. She could see that about half of them were already at the usual meeting place at Jared's truck; Paul, Quil, Jared, and Kim.
Sucking in a deep breath, Lilly used her fingers to brush her hair forward a bit to hide her cheek, then headed toward them with her head ducked down.
"Hey Lilly." a couple voices greeted when she reached them. She nodded, afraid to lift her face.
"You okay, Lil?" Quil asked curiously, taking a few steps closer to her.
Paul tilted his head a bit, trying to catch a glimpse of her face. He spotted red around her face and stepped forward, grabbing her shoulder and pushing back. Her head instinctively tipped up enough to reveal a huge red mark in the shape of a hand that covered most of her cheek, stretching over her cheekbone, toward her ear, and down to her jaw.
A snarl erupted in Paul's chest, echoed by Quil and Jared as they stepped forward to get a better look. Lilly ducked her head and turned away so her right cheek wasn't visible.
"Who the hell did that, Lilly?" Paul demanded. Lilly shook her head, silently saying she wasn't telling.
"What's going on?" Embry asked as he came to a stop on Lilly's right, Seth joining a moment later.
"Why don't you take a look at Lilly's cheek?" Paul suggested harshly.
Embry looked down at the 5'6" girl standing next to him, noticing her head was ducked so her wavy, black hair fell over her face like a curtain. Brow furrowed, Embry reached down and hooked his finger under her chin, forcing her face up. When his eyes landed on her cheek a tremor rocked his spine.
"What happened?" he demanded, staring into her eyes.
Lilly once again shook her head, crossing her arms and looking away from all of them.
"Why the hell won't you tell us? Someone obviously slapped you, now who was it!?" Paul demanded angrily.
Lilly glared up at him, but kept her lips firmly shut.
"Alright, lets calm down, okay? If she doesn't want to tell us she doesn't have to, even though she probably should," Jared looked pointedly at Lilly, but she merely sniffed, "Let's just head to Emily's, okay? Lilly's cheek is starting to swell and she probably needs an ice pack."
The others nodded, though Paul continued glaring at Lilly as they climbed into separate vehicles. Paul and Kim road in Jared's truck while Embry, Lilly, and Seth got in Old Quil's car, which he let Quil use since he rarely had a use for it during the day.
There was a tense silence as they made the short journey, which Quil and Seth quickly tried to break by talking about funny stuff that happened in a few of their classes. Lilly almost sighed in relief when they pulled up to Sam and Emily's, but she also knew Emily was bound to get upset at the sight of the bruise that was forming on her cheek.
She climbed out of the car when it stopped just in time to see Paul entering the house, since they'd arrived just before Quil's car.
Lilly let the others head her off, taking deliberately slow steps up the porch and into the house. When she entered the kitchen Sam was sending Seth out to start his patrol. Seth's patrols were usually right after school and only for a couple hours so he could still do homework and sleep. Sam and Jared were seated at the table, Kim on Jared's lap, Quil and Embry joining him, Emily was frying something at the stove, and Paul was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Hey Emily, you got any ice packs?" Paul asked pointedly.
Emily turned to look at him, her face scrunched up in confusion. "Well, I've got a few bags of frozen vegetables in the freezer…but why would you need an ice pack, Paul? Your body heat would melt it within minutes."
"Not for me, for Lilly." he stated simply, his eyes flicking in Lilly's direction by the doorway.
Emily's head snapped around so fast Lilly was surprised she didn't crack her neck. When she saw Lilly's face, her mouth fell open in horror.
"Oh my God! What happened to you?!" Emily shouted, flicking the stove off and hurrying around the table to stand in front of Lilly. One hand rested on Lilly's shoulder while her other hand gently brushed Lilly's hair out of her face so she could see her bruised cheek. Lilly winced a bit when Emily's finger barely grazed the tender skin. "Oh, sweetie, who did this?" Emily asked worriedly.
"She refuses to tell us." Paul griped, his arms tense across his chest. "She came out of school like that."
Emily looked Lilly in the eye and the young girl found herself lowering her face, unable to meet the kind woman's eyes.
"Well, let's get you an ice pack before it swells too much." Emily finally decided, leading Lilly into an empty chair across from the others before heading for the freezer. Lilly dropped her backpack on the ground before taking her seat.
"You're not going to even try to get an answer out of her?!" Paul asked in disbelief, gaping at the scarred woman as she opened the freezer.
"If she wants to tell someone, she will, Paul. No use upsetting her by trying to force an answer out of her." Emily stated, pulling out a bag of frozen peas and passing it across the table to Lilly before going back to the stove.
Lilly tentatively placed the freezing bag against her cheek, wincing at the initial sting before slowly pressing it against her face.
"Well, we could try to figure it out." Embry stated, watching Lilly as her eyes hesitantly traveled to his. "The handprint isn't that big, much smaller than mine, so I'd guess it's a girl."
Lilly's eyes dropped to the tabletop.
It was quiet for a moment before Kim spoke quietly, "It wasn't there in our science class sixth hour."
"And since it's just now bruising and swelling I'd say it happened sometime after seventh hour." Jared stated.
"So does that mean I can't hit them, since it's probably a girl?" Paul asked in disappointment.
"We could ask Leah to beat her up." Quil suggested.
"She wouldn't do it." Jared shook his head.
"Sick Kim on the person." Embry suggested, smirking at the girl on Jared's lap.
Kim blinked. "What could I do? I can't fight. I'd probably get beat up."
"Well, if that happened then one of us could take her out, because that'd be two imp-um,…of our girls injured. Right?" Quil suggested, smiling uncertainly near the end while a couple of the guys glared at him.
"No one is beating anyone up." Emily stated firmly, turning around with a large plate of fried chicken. She placed it on the table and stepped back just in time for the guys to practically lunge for it. When their hands retreated Lilly grabbed a couple pieces and placed them on a smaller plate in front of her.
The humor in it is that this was merely an after-school snack. Emily would be cooking dinner soon.
Lilly was nearly done with her second piece when Embry looked over his shoulder out the window.
"Jake's here. Hey! He brought Bella!" Embry quickly stood up, followed by Quil, Jared, and Paul while Lilly focused on gnawing the last scraps of chicken off the bone. Kim also chose to stay, talking with Emily.
When she finished a moment later she looked over her shoulder to see the guys bounding off the porch in front of Jake, who was wearing a tight, black T-shirt, and the pale brunette, Bella Swan. After a few moments of talking the guys burst out laughing and Jake's awkward smile screamed embarrassment.
"Why don't you go join them?" Emily suggested as Sam joined her at the sink, starting to wash the dishes. "I'm sure the guys are giving Jake hell by now."
Sam chuckled. "Oh, they are." his small smirk confirmed he could hear what was being said.
Lilly smiled, glancing nervously between the bag of frozen peas on the table and the group outside.
"Oh, and you should be keeping that bag on your face a bit more, Lilly. It really will help." Emily suggested in a tone that was both motherly advice and an order rolled into one.
Sighing, Lilly grabbed the bag of peas and walked out the door about the same time Leah came stomping out of the woods. Lilly stayed on the porch, leaning forward so the front of her right shoulder was against the porch beam with the bag in both hands hanging in front of her. She also rested her forehead on the beam so that the right half of her face was hidden from view, just in case.
"Bella, this is Leah Clearwater…Harry's daughter." Jake introduced quietly.
Bella's eyes lowered awkwardly before looking back at Leah. "Hey…I'm really sorry about your father." she said, her voice awkward and empty of emotion.
From behind most of the pack on the porch, Lilly could see Leah's back tremble, a sign of her anger.
"If you're here to torture Jacob some more, feel free to leave." Leah suggested coolly before turning and stalking back into the trees the way she'd come while the others looked down awkwardly, Quil rocking back on his heels as he exchanged a glance with Embry.
Jake looked down at Bella. "Fun, isn't she?" he glanced up only to double take when he spotted Lilly on the porch. She released the bag of peas with one hand to wave before returning her hand to it's place.
Jake looked her over silently, taking note of the familiar green and white bag in her hands. The guys parted to let him through when he stepped forward, ignoring Bella calling his name.
He walked up the porch steps until he stood on the one below her, still towering over her by a good six inches with his eyes staring down into the one that was visible.
"Lilly?" he questioned quietly, his tone warning her to give him an answer.
She simply bit her lips nervously, looking down.
Jake's nostrils flared before his hand lifted to cup her chin, turning her face so he could see the side she was hiding behind the beam. Her eyes closed and she sighed in defeat when her bruised right cheek was revealed.
Jake growled lowly. "What the hell happened?" he demanded darkly.
"We've been trying to get the answer out of her since we got out of school. She refuses to answer." Paul announced loudly, clearly hoping Jake could get an answer out of her.
"Lilly, who did this?" Jake growled quietly, sounding more threatening than she'd ever heard, which caused her to flinch in fear.
"Jacob, leave the poor girl alone." Emily scolded, opening the door and stepping out with Sam right behind her. "If she wants to tell someone she will. Or she might give you hints, but scaring her isn't going to get you anywhere."
Jake examined Lilly and realized Emily was right, Lilly's scent was mildly tainted with fear.
He sighed, "Sorry," dropping his hand from her chin and leaning back so he wasn't crowding her.
She nodded tensely before turning to head back inside.
Emily greeted Bella while the others followed Lilly into the house.
"So, will you at least give us a hint?" Embry asked as Lilly sat down in the seat she'd been in earlier. Kim was sitting in the chair next to her.
She sighed and shook her head negatively in answer, lifting the bag up to her cheek.
"You know, all we have to do is ask a bunch of the kids in your seventh hour class. Surely someone saw what happened." Quil pointed out smugly.
Lilly glared at him before quickly snatching a chicken bone off a nearby plate and chucking it at his face, but he caught it with his hand easily.
She typed out a quick message before showing it to Kim to read.
"'Be a good dog and choke on a chicken bone.'" she read in amusement.
The guys had reactions stemming between shock, amusement, and mock offense.
"Ouch, that's just cruel." Quil joked, putting a hand to his chest.
By this point everyone was back inside. Jared went down the hall and came back a moment later with a football between his hands.
"Who wants to play some football before dinner?" Jared asked loudly.
"Touch or tackle?" Embry asked eagerly.
Paul scoffed, already heading for the back door. "Dude, if you want to play touch you can stay in here with the girls, where's it's safe." he taunted, Jared and Quil already following him outside.
Embry quickly followed them, and Sam followed after kissing Emily on the cheek. Jake glanced longing after them before looking hopefully down at Bella.
"Bells, I'm gonna join them. You can hang out in here with the girls, okay?" before she could protest, Jake hurried out the door after his brothers.
"You girls can go watch them if you want. It can be rather entertaining." Emily suggested before looking back at Kim, "And I could teach you to make hamburgers now, if you want, Kim."
Kim nodded excitedly. "Yes please."
Lilly smiled at them before standing and heading toward the back porch to watch the guys play football.
She sat down on the steps, her thawing bag of peas still pressed to her cheek. They had just separated into teams of Sam, Quil, and Jared against Paul, Embry, and Jake when Bella came out and sat down next to Lilly on the porch.
They sat in silence, watching the game start. Lilly smirked a bit every time one of the guys tackled the others, their skin smacking together in the air.
"It sure is entertaining, watching them. Almost as fun as watching the Cullens play baseball." Bella spoke quietly.
Lilly nodded distractedly, her eyes fixed on Jake as he tackled Quil into the dirt.
"I don't think we've been officially introduced. My name's Bella. What's yours?" Bella asked.
Lilly laid the bag of peas on her lap before pulling a small notepad out of her back jean pocket. She used this notepad when her phone battery was getting low. Pulling a small pencil from the spiral, she wrote, 'Lilly'
She showed it to Bella, who read it uncertainly.
"You…You can't talk?" she asked in confusion.
Lilly looked down awkwardly, not sure if she wanted to answer. Despite her doubts, Lilly wrote out, 'I choose not to.'
When Bella read it, she asked the question that everyone asks. "Why?"
Lilly sighed, chewing on her bottom lip. She really didn't want to answer that question. But, Bella was important to Jake. Maybe if she was nice to her they could get along, if only for Jake's sake.
'I stopped talking around the time my parents died.'
She slowly showed the notepad to Bella.
Bella stared at the notepad for several moments, perplexed. "Well, isn't that a bit immature? I mean, death is a part of life unless you're some kind of immortal creature. It's childish to stop talking because someone died."
Luckily, a loud array of cussing on Paul's part drew Bella's attention back to the game, so she didn't see the burning glare Lilly was directing into the side of her head.
Fuming, Lilly turned to face forward again, her hands clenched into fists on her lap. How dare she? How dare she judge someone when she knew nothing of what Lilly went through? Yes, death was a part of life, but that didn't mean it was easy to go through. Seeing someone you love, your family, laying dead in their bloodstained bed sheets would traumatize anyone, especially a 13 year old girl.
Lilly realized she should probably leave, otherwise she just might deck Bella in the face. She stood up and went back inside, not even bothering with an excuse for the self-centered 'vamp tramp'. Entering the living room, Lilly heard Emily and Kim laughing and talking lightly as they cooked and couldn't bring herself to dampen their moods with her anger. So, she decided she'd head home. After all, she did have homework to do.
So, she quickly wrote out, 'I'm going to head home. I've got homework.'
When she entered the kitchen, she approached Emily and Kim, who were both working over the stove, frying hamburgers on the frying pan.
She cleared her throat and waited for the girls to look at her before she held the notepad up for them to read.
Emily frowned in concern. "Are you sure? You could sit in here and work on it."
She smiled appreciatively, but shook her head.
"It does get a bit loud, doesn't it?" Kim sympathized, to which Lilly nodded, feeling bad that she was lying to them.
Wanting to leave quickly, she put the thawed bag of peas back in the freezer, grabbed her backpack, and waved to the two girls as she walked out the front door.
XXX
When Kim came out to tell everyone that dinner would be ready soon, all the guys ended the game and started for the back door. Quil gave Jake a lighthearted shove as he passed him up, but Jake was too busy rubbing at his chest to notice, trying to make the dull aching he'd been feeling go away.
When he looked up he smiled at Bella, who was still sitting on the porch steps, but it fell to a frown when he realized Lilly wasn't there anymore. The last time he looked she'd been sitting on the porch next to Bella.
Bells stood up to greet him while the other guys hurried past her to get to their food.
"Good game?" she asked with a small smile.
Jake shrugged with a grin. "We won, so I can't complain."
"Yeah! 'Cause you cheated!" Quil shouted as Jake and Bella entered the house.
"Oh, shove a sock in it, Ateara." Paul smirked, grabbing a plate and sitting at the table to eat.
Jake looked down at Bella. "Hey, do you know where Lilly went?"
Bella frowned, and Jake wasn't sure what to make of her expression.
"Oh, she just randomly got up and walked away without saying anything. Bit rude, honestly."
Jake frowned in confusion. That didn't sound like Lilly. When they entered the kitchen, he looked around, but knew even before he tried that she wasn't there.
"Hey, Em?" Jake asked as he grabbed a plate from the counter next to Emily. "Do you know where Lilly went?"
Emily frowned. "She said she was going home to do homework."
Jake glanced at the guys at the table, all of whom were frowning at Emily in concern. Something didn't add up.
