CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

Cars

Sophie's PoV

I woke up with a start when I heard the front door open and close.

I slept on the couch?

The TV was still on and it was playing the opening menu music to my 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' series DVD on loop.

I wonder how long that's been playing...

I heard a set of keys jingling from down the hall, mum's home!

"Mummy!" I was always so excited when my mum came back from work. She's a stewardess after all, shit can go down up there, I hate when she leaves.

"Hey Kitten!" I love my mum, she always calls me Kitten, "oh, I got you something! We got to stop in Korea last night, I got you a keychain to put your car keys on."

She handed me a small purple plastic bag, "Thanks mum! How was the flight?"

I listened to her while I helped her take her bags upstairs. I'm a good kid like that.

"Oh it was great, everything went smoothly and without a hitch," she smiled at me as we put her things down in her bedroom. I fixed her some breakfast while she showered and got herself ready for her day.

My mum loves art; she enrolled herself in a painting course in town recently, watercolours for the first term of the class. She's doing really well, I'm pretty dang jealous of her. I'm useless with paint, I can sketch, or play around with charcoal but that's about as far as it goes with me.

We sat and ate breakfast and she talked about her trip and all the jerk passengers she had to deal with, some of them are so rude it's ridiculous.

"Oh, mum!"

"Mmm?" she looked up at me from her plate of hash browns and toast.

"Jake is going to help me fix up the car today, well, we're starting today. Is it cool if I drive it over there? I know you didn't want me driving it 'til it was fixed but I have to get it over there first and-"

Mum cut me off, I was rambling again. "Yes it's alright," she snorted to herself, "your words and explanations always get so muddled and lengthy."

I put on a fake sad face and looked down at the table and pouted, I was attempting to look like a sad and pitiful puppy. I think it's working.

I don't know what to wear today; I guess something I won't mind getting greased up and gross.

I grabbed an old tattered pair of jeans and an old fitted Led Zeppelin t-shirt and threw them on. I french braided my side sweeping bangs back and pinned them to the side to keep them out of my face and tied my thick mess of mid-back length blonde hair and secured it into a big messy bun on the back of my head. Slapped on a tiny bit of natural looking makeup and was good to go.

I remembered that present from my mum, the keychain. I picked up the small purple bag from my dresser and opened it up. Inside was a cute Hello Kitty wearing a tiger suit on a keychain, complete with three tiny silver sparkly bells.

I texted mum even though she was just down the hall in her own room,

Sophie: Haha thanks for the keychain ;) too cute.

I smiled to myself when I could hear her yell her reply down the hall, "You're welcome, Kitten!"

I put the keys on the keychain and chucked my stuff into my purse.

Time to call Jake!

I was strangely giddy and overly excited to call him and spend the day with him. It's funny; I was more excited to see Jake than I was whenever I was going to see Quil. I think it's because I spend so much time with Quil, it gets too normal and old, nothing new.

Picking up my cell and my coat I dialled Jakes number and walked out my bedroom door.

Jake's PoV:

Jake: YESS! The phone's ringing.

Embry: Oh dear lord…

I basically sprung out of my chair and sprinted to answer.

"Hey!" I think I shouted it at her I was so stoked.

"Hey Jake, so I'm gunna come over now, is that okay?" she laughed lightly at my overly enthusiastic greeting while she spoke, man she's cute.

"Yah, no, for sure, now's perfect!"

Embry: Haha you're soundin' a little needy bro, tone it down.

Jake: Point taken

Embry: Anytime!

"Kay awesome, I'll be there in a couple minutes then. Quil's gunna follow me over there in his car in case mine blows up or something," she laughed as she spoke; I simply said "Kay," in response.

I wasn't thrilled that Quil was coming too, it's like she saw me as some kind of cousin that was completely platonically in the picture who wouldn't care if she brought her boyfriend around every five minutes.

I was viciously bitter, but whatever, at least I get to be near her. Just being near her wasn't going to keep me alive for long though, I want her to love me like I love her.

Sam says as the 'imprint-er' I'm supposed to be whatever she needs me to be. I guess right now I'm her friend and mechanic. Ugh, torture, but I guess I'll have to take whatever I can get in this situation.

"Kay so, see ya in a sec! Bye!" She sounded so bubbly and happy and completely oblivious.

She's so innocent; I wish I didn't know any of what I'm feeling, to be innocent as she is. I wish I was like her, normal, without the ability/necessity of imprinting on anyone and being so dependent on them and their being alive n' stuff.

"Bye," I hung up the phone and tried to wish the little clouds of disappointment away. Sometimes I can be SUCH a girly emo kid.

Sophie's PoV:

I was really glad that Quil's dad needed him to help out in the woods. It meant he wouldn't be able to stay with me at Jake's and I don't know why I was so happy about it, but I really was. I think sometimes he's around too much, I don't think he's charming enough for me to be able to be around him 24/7.

Jake on the other hand I really enjoy spending time with. He's fun, exciting, and I feel really comfortable talking to him. Conversation just seems to flow with him, whereas with Quil it feels so forced, awkward and uncomfortable.

I think it's because with Jake there isn't that awkward 'I need to impress you 'cause you're my girlfriend' factor. Jakes just my buddy, makes it easier. I shuffled beneath the seatbelt of my funny half-working car, adjusting the strap to release a trapped lock of messy hair that was previously pinned between my shoulder and the vinyl fabric of the belt.

"You alright, Babe?" Quil was looking at me from just outside the window.

"Yeah I'm good."

"Kay."

I looked at him through my peripherals, he was staring forward again, hands on the hood of the car looking oddly stiff.

"Sooo, you ready to go then?" I looked up at Quil skeptically through the window,

"Ya for sure, let's do this!" Quil jumped up clapping his hands together as he ran off to start up his own car. I couldn`t help but think to myself how awkward that felt. Like I said, I was really glad that Quil wouldn't be able to stay with me at Jake's.

Thank you Quils' dad.