"Life's a game but it's not fair.
I break the rules so I don't care.
So I keep doin' my own thing.
Walkin' tall against the rain.
Victory's within the mile.
Almost there, don't give up now.
Only thing that's on my mind,
Is who's gonna run this town tonight?"

~Run This Town by Jay-Z and Rihanna

The sun had already set on the damp field, but a group of young men gathered there anyway. Voices could be heard murmuring but no one could see the hand in front of his face. A few moments later, a lone flood light was turned on and the field came into view. Two distinct groups formed on the field. Their shadows loomed larger than life and cast an eeriness all around them.

The game became the culmination of the battle over pride and a particular girl.

Paul fought the urge to start a fight before any of the action began. He didn't like this Tyler guy, and the fact that he messed with his best friend made him fume. He would enjoy this game tonight. He didn't care if he hurt anyone. He just wanted one good shot at the pretty boy—that's all he wanted. As much as he wanted that shot, however, he quickly decided that he would give those to Jacob. He would block the shit out of everyone just so Jacob could get a clean, hard shot at Tyler.

"So, who's shirts; who's skins?" Emmett asked, breaking his way to the front of his group. Tyler had petitioned for some of his teammates to come to his aid tonight. Emmett looked Jacob's way seeking an answer.

"They can be skins. Their kind is used to it anyway," Tyler spoke, and his intolerant comment didn't go unnoticed by the brown-skinned group huddled together.

"Dude, that's so unnecessary," Emmett said to the cocky Tyler.

Paul began to shake. His anger suddenly bubbled up and spewed out. He quickly lunged at the vile offender of his race but was stopped by Jacob. "Take it to the field, Paul. Use it for the game," Jacob's voice resonated in a low, calm manner to Paul, the way it had always done. Paul calmed down only because his friend had asked for him to.

Without missing an opportunity to show his pride, Quil jumped from behind Paul stripping the shirt from his chest. "I'll be skins. I'm fuckin' proud to be skins," Quil declared, keeping his bare, heaving chest bowed like he was ready to spring into action. Quil's defiance caused a stir within the pack. Embry followed suit. Then, one by one, their shirts found themselves strewn about on the ground.

"Bring it on, mother fucker," Paul growled.

Tyler had brought his teammates for a game. Most of them came not out of loyalty to Tyler, but for the fun of it. They thought the match would be a friendly game of football, a nice break from the stressful life of a collegiate athlete. Sometimes the pressure of winning became too much to balance solely on their shoulders. It was a good way for them to blow off steam and make the game fun again. They couldn't be less aware of what the game entailed for the other side.

The pack of brothers were there for one reason and one reason only, to make life miserable for the guy who dared to hurt Jacob. If someone messed with one of them, he had messed with all of them. Tyler didn't know that kind of brotherhood. His teammates would be faced with a rude awakening once they realized that this game was more than just fun to Jacob and his friends.

The Forks' night became darker when the rain began to fall. Jacob was last to disrobe, and he welcomed the rain. This fight would be dirty and the mud just added to the imagery of how dirty it would get. He took his shirt and folded it methodically. Every thought and action he did was a direct result of what was about to play out. His mind went from that care-free, young man to a machine, calculating every move he made and was about to make. Jacob had the uncanny ability to see the entire field in front of him. He possessed the talent for anticipation, knowing what a player was about to do before that player knew it himself. That was why he was so good. His face didn't show his emotions because his mind already fell into game mode, and he liked the fact that Tyler had pissed off his pack.

Tyler smirked, satisfied that he had them all riled up. The game wasn't fun to Tyler unless a little anger mixed in with the hatred of the opponent. It made each move, each play, and each tackle mean something. Nothing tonight would happen by chance. If someone was taken out, it wouldn't be deemed an accident. The purpose of tonight's pseudo brawl was to claim some sort of unspoken alpha rights. Tyler had his girl taken by Jacob, a huge blow to his ego.

Jacob had dealt with the jerk more than he cared to and had seen Nessie hurt as the result of Tyler's anger issues. Both men had a vendetta against the other and were ready to settle the dispute once and for all. The need for vengeance had been building for too long.

"Who has the ball first?" Emmett asked, seeming to be the one wanting to do things by the book.

"We can flip for it." Jacob said.

"Nah, let 'em have the ball first. They're our guests on the field tonight," Tyler said smugly showing some sort of false courtesy.

Jacob didn't want to let Tyler give him anything, but he'd take the ball first. It would be satisfying to score on these guys in a couple of plays and really shock them. He figured Tyler's teammates took him and his buddies as a rag-tag group of wannabes. Most of them had no clue that Jacob had led most of these guys to several state titles at La Push High School. They had played this game together since they were old enough to hold a ball. Tyler's guys had maybe played together for three years tops.

"all right, men. Let's get going. We don't have all night," said a guy that Jacob had never seen before.

"Shut up, Newton. I'll call the shots here tonight," Tyler called out.

"I'm just ready to play before we get caught. You know Coach Rasmussen gets ticked when we do shit like this, especially before game day," the Newton guy said.

"Don't be a pussy, Mike. You just make sure that you catch the ball, got it?" Tyler slapped Mike on the back and took his position behind Emmett.

"all right boys, you ready? Take it from your twenty, Black. Let's see what you boys can do," Tyler said arrogantly.

The rain began to fall a little harder causing their cleats to sink into the wet earth. Paul laughed maniacally with Embry at his side. "Em, you know what to do."

"I do, boss. Block like hell and let Jake run the show." Embry was as big as Paul but not as petulant. He was a good follower and took instructions well. Jacob gave Paul the ball and took his position behind him. Jacob glanced down the line of friends—Seth, Embry, Jared, Paul, Brady, Collin. Everyone of them dropped everything to be here for him tonight. He kept scanning until he found Quil. Quil saw Jacob look his way.

After years of playing, he knew that look from his quarterback. Run like hell and get open.

~o~O~o~

Nessie didn't want to be seen as she and Claire headed to the intramural fields. She didn't want either Jacob or Tyler knowing she was there to watch them play. The two of them had been at each others throats since the beginning, and she felt out of control in doing anything about their hatred for one other.

Tyler wanted to fight this battle with Jacob because his ego was the size of Texas and didn't like anyone getting in his way. He didn't really love Nessie; he just didn't like the fact that he lost her to someone else. More than that, he wasn't the one to break up with her; he usually was the one doing the leaving. He always had control of the relationship, and Nessie had pulled a fast one on him.

Jacob wanted to fight because of her, to defend her honor. He needed to beat the crap out of Tyler for hurting her, and secretly she wanted Jacob to cause Tyler severe pain.

"C'mon, Nessie. Let's get closer. It's too dark to stand way out here," Claire said kicking the loose gravel in the parking lot.

"I don't want them to see us. I feel weird watching this game for some reason," Nessie said as Claire scanned the area.

"Look, we can hang out by that group of trees, and they won't see us," Claire grabbed Nessie's arm. "Let's go. I want to see this game and watch Tyler get what's coming to him. I have a feeling that any tackles will have a little extra force added to them tonight," Claire said enthusiastically.

Nessie suddenly became scared for Jacob. What if he got hurt playing this stupid game? She wouldn't put it past Tyler to play dirty. Her gut felt sick like she was about to vomit. She wished this little battle of the egos would end and that Tyler would go away and leave Jacob alone.

She and Claire found a spot amongst the trees and watched the action from their hiding spot. The night was dark, but the field was not. She could see everyone clearly. Even squirrely Mike Newton could be distinguished by Nessie from where she stood. She folded her arms and leaned against one of the trees.

The action had already begun, and Nessie was afraid that Tyler and his teammates would be too much for Jacob and his friends to handle, since they played at the collegiate level and practiced everyday. She worried that the odds would be stacked against the team for whom she was cheering.

Her worries were soon squashed by the scene that took place in front of her eyes. She watched as Paul hiked the ball to Jacob, who maneuvered himself around the field with ease. He ran out of the pocket and in one swift, fluid motion, he threw the ball down the field—the ball soared about fifty yards with no problem in its perfect spiral. She had no idea to whom he threw the ball because no one was in sight in that general direction.

Then, out of the blue, came a flash of bronze skin running like lightening. Mike Newton failed miserably trying to keep up with the receiver, who turned his upper body and easily caught the ball that hit him directly in the chest. Quil made the touchdown with ease, and Nessie silently cheered. Her fears of them getting beaten were gone.

"That's my man," yelled Claire, not realizing what she had said.

Nessie cocked her head towards her friend, raising one corner of her mouth to smile. "Your man? I didn't know he was your man."

"Well, you know, like I said, he's growing on me. Watching him do shit like that is working in his favor. That shirtless thing isn't too bad either," Claire remarked. Quil had finally won her over, and Nessie couldn't be happier.

"Yea, the shirtless thing isn't bad is it?" Ness added. She had seen Jacob many times without his shirt on, and it never got old.

She continued to watch Jacob as he readied himself for defense. There was no time to celebrate the touchdown because Jacob meant business. She paid no attention at that moment to the game because Nessie couldn't stop thinking about running her fingers across his stomach. Her fingernail found its way to her mouth as she wantonly watched a half-naked Jacob in action. She wanted him so badly.

~o~O~o~

The look Tyler gave Jacob was more validation for his opponent. Tyler's mouth hung open, and the look of astonishment was priceless. Jacob inhaled a huge breath and his chest filled with air and pride. He didn't celebrate the touchdown. His next task was to make sure that Tyler couldn't get off a pass. He hoped that there might be a moment where he could personally take down the guy.

Quil made his way back from the end zone, threw the ball at Tyler, and said, "We make this shit look easy."

Quil then took his place on the line and was ready for defense. Tyler's team huddled together mumbling to themselves, trying to figure out what play to run against this underestimated team. The ease in which they scored was surprising; they would soon find out how capable they were in playing defense. Emmett took his spot across from Paul and looked a little scared at being paired up with the angry one. Jacob found his spot, never taking his eyes off Tyler.

Jacob's body couldn't sit still; he felt he would burst out of his skin. He needed to hit someone, and it needed to be soon. Emmett hiked the ball to Tyler and immediately met Paul's body with full force. Jacob dodged a couple of guys trying to block him and pushed those daring to tackle him into the muddy ground. Embry took off trailing Mike. Jacob's site honed in on Tyler whose eyes grew large seeing who ran towards him. Tyler threw the ball quickly towards the direction Mike ran, but it bounced way off onto the sidelines nowhere close to its intended receiver.

Luckily for Tyler, the play had ended before Jacob could even get to him. Jacob wanted to tackle Tyler, but a late hit was illegal, and Jacob played by the rules. That, however didn't stop his momentum from moving to Tyler. Jacob continued to run at the guy, and his shoulder made contact with Tyler's body.

The force of the bump sent Tyler back a few feet. "Hey watch it," yelled Tyler. Jacob didn't respond. The tone of Tyler's voice seemed to show that he could dish it out but couldn't take it

The intensity of the game that previously had been lost on Tyler's team was now beginning to show. Emmett was the first to speak.

"You said this would be a friendly game. It doesn't seem that way." Emmett directed his comment towards Tyler.

"Em, I need you to focus on blocking for me and not worrying about why you're here. Just play the damn game. It's not too much to ask," Tyler demanded.

Emmett let out a loud sigh and took his place on the line. Jacob was at Paul's side, taking his three-point stance. His fist sunk in the mud. Jacob ignored the water that poured off his brow from the rain. He was focused on his objective and nothing could interrupt his need to impale Tyler.

Emmett couldn't let it go and turned to Jacob. "Dude, I'm not in on whatever it is he has against you. None of us are."

"Let's just play. You guys can figure out your feelings later after we beat your asses," Paul seethed.

"C'mon, Paul. Don't talk trash to the guy. Focus," Jacob instructed.

Tyler called the play and Emmett snapped the ball. Immediately Paul collided with Emmett, and Jacob pushed his way through the line. He knew exactly where he wanted to go. Jacob saw the Mike kid running towards him getting between Tyler and himself. Jacob prepared to push him down to get him out of his way, but Embry flashed out of nowhere and blindsided the guy, making a clear path to Tyler.

Tyler pumped the ball near his shoulder looking for a receiver.

One last teammate of Tyler's attempted to tackle Jacob, but he was met with a stiff arm and found his face in the mud. Tyler pulled the ball close to his body, ready to run down the field. He turned and unexpectedly met Jacob's chest. The ball flew out from his arms. Everyone scrambled for it.

His huge body smashed into Tyler forcing him to the ground—hard. The groan Tyler made echoed happily in Jacob's ears, and everyone heard the sound of their two bodies colliding with each other. Jacob made sure he put all he had into the hit and by the way Tyler's body didn't move, assured him of that fact. Hopefully it would take Tyler a long time to get to his feet after that play.

Tyler moaned while lying underneath the six foot seven man on top of him. All the players gathered around to assess the damage of the hit. Jacob lifted himself slightly and placed his flat palm on Tyler's cheek.

"That's for the bruise on her arm. I don't think you're gonna want to to feel the one for the gash in her head." Having the wind knocked out of him caused Tyler to not be able to respond.

Jacob proceeded to take his hand and pushed Tyler's head into the mud, using it as leverage to get himself up.

"Third down, right?" Jacob asked as if he pummeled guys everyday for sport.

Tyler began moving slowly and one of his teammates tried to help him up. Tyler hit the hand of his friend away, refusing help. He spit into the mud once he was on two feet. His hand rubbed his jaw.

"Dammit! You knocked out a tooth." Tyler yelled.

Jacob and his pack laughed quietly at the site of shell-shocked Tyler. "That's the breaks of the game, man, but you should know that already." Jacob smirked. "Like I said earlier, third down?"

Jacob threw the ball to Emmett and took his place on defense hoping to have another shot at Tyler.

~o~O~o~

Nessie and Claire were soaked as they watched, but neither one cared. Watching the intense game in front of them took their minds off being cold and wet. Nessie found herself enthralled with the sport. She had never witnessed anything like it, and she had seen hundreds of football games in her lifetime.

Her eyes focused on her Jacob, the one who repeatedly kept launching the ball down the field. Each time he completed a pass, she could see Tyler becoming even more frustrated. Jacob even astonished everyone by being able to take the ball down the field himself, plowing down and hurdling anyone who dared step in his path. He made the game look easy.

She watched a play unfold through the thick blanket of rain. It didn't take a genius to see that most of Tyler's teammates worked really hard at not getting in Jacob's way, which left Tyler wide open and vulnerable for most of the plays. It didn't take long for him to get hit again and again by her Jacob.

She didn't know the score, but Nessie knew that it didn't matter. Jacob proved himself tonight. He proved that he was still a damn good quarterback and had earned the respect of Tyler and his teammates, no matter how little Tyler wanted to give it.

Tyler didn't get to his feet after the last hit from Jacob; instead he sat with his elbows resting on his bent knees. His head hung down. She watched as Jacob jogged back to his huddle. He turned towards Tyler looking for the cue that the game was still in play.

A loud whistle shot through the night air, cutting through the sound of the drops of rain. It made Tyler jerk his head to attention as well as everyone in the general vicinity.

Two men, one young and one old, dressed in similar red and white shirts, walked quickly passed the girls. The old man began yelling towards the group of men.

"What the hell do you boys think you're doing out here and on the night before the game no less. Get the hell off this field now before I personally kick each and everyone of your asses." It was Coach Rasmussen, and he didn't look happy at the sight of his players being involved in a pick-up game of football.

The young guy hung back and stopped close to the girls. Nessie recognized him as the graduate- assistant coach.

"Ms. Cullen." Coach Smith nodded in the direction of Nessie.

"Hey, Brian, I mean Coach Smith." Brian had only been a student-athlete last year, and the thought of him being a coach was funny to Nessie.

"What is going on out here? We kept getting phone calls letting us know our guys were out here," said the coach.

"It's a football game, Brian." Nessie said realizing he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. "Besides, how long have you been here?"

"Long enough. Coach Rasmussen is mad as hell. I don't want to be those boys when Monday's conditioning practice comes. They'll be running bleachers up and down the entire stadium ten times over."

He paused looking at Nessie. "I'm not going to ask why you're here, but I will ask you if you know the guys they are playing."

"I do. Why?" she asked. As she talked with Brian, she could hear yelling from the head coach. Coach Rasmussen was a transplant from somewhere in the South, and she could hear his southern drawl chewing out his players.

"That big guy can play...do you know him?" Brian took his cap and repositioned it on his head, smoothing out the brim.

"Yea. He's my..." she stopped. She debated on telling him the truth. "...he's my friend." She couldn't reveal it yet; it was too soon.

The guys, who were all wet and muddy from the battle, made their way to the direction of the parking lot led by the head coach. Tyler and his teammates were quietly sloshing through the mud looking like they were marching to their deaths, which was entirely possible with Coach Rasmussen's reputation.

Jacob and his friends followed closely behind talking amongst themselves, obviously proud of the outcome of the game tonight. Nessie watched Jacob, knowing he had no idea she came to watch him play. When his eyes found her, she inhaled the smallest of breaths. At first he looked surprised, but his face soon turned into one big smile. She returned one to him and watched as he left his friends and jogged towards her.

He stopped just a few feet from her, suddenly remembering she was mad at him. He looked at the soaked girl in front of him and immediately needed to hold her. He took a step towards her, hoping she would not turn around and leave.

She couldn't move. Jacob had her speechless as well as motionless. She forgot about being angry with him and needed to be close, but her body wouldn't move. When he came closer, her eyes widened, and she hoped he sensed her predicament.

"I'm so sorry," he said as he bridged the final space between them and pulled her to him. He had forgotten he had just played a game in the pouring rain. All he knew was that she was here and he needed to make things right.

Nessie wrapped her arms around his middle and ran them up and down his back that was smooth from the rain. "No, Jacob, I'm sorry."

All he could think about was kissing her, and he pulled her body up his to where they could look at one another eye to eye. He searched her face, looking for any objection to what he wanted to do. The only change he found in her look was her pink tongue licking her lips.

He brought his lips to hers, but before he made the contact he so desperately desired, she stopped him.

"Wait." She saw his questioning look and hoped that what she had to say would be worth stopping their kiss of reconciliation. "I love you, Jacob." A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

He kept her in his embrace and brought her head to the crook of his neck. He tried to get his emotions under control before he spoke. He didn't want his voice to shake in the same manner the inside of his body did. Jacob had never heard anything more beautiful than her voice speaking those words. The way in which she said his name made those words sound even sweeter.

He grabbed the back of her head while holding her in place with his other arm. He kissed the top of her head that hadn't moved and then brought his kiss to her temple. His mouth lingered there and he whispered, "I love you, too, Ness. I love you so much."

She brought her head up to face him. "I know we can't promise never to be mad at one another, but I can't stand being away from you. Let's not do that again, okay?"

"I won't let it happen again. I promise." And with those words, he crashed his lips to hers and all the anger, worries, and anxiety of the week dissipated. He missed her taste so much and lost himself kissing her. Nothing felt better than having her with him.

Wrapped up in their kissing, they didn't hear someone's throat clearing, trying to get the two lover's attention. The voice had to cough loudly to interrupt the couple who forgot anyone else was near.

"Jacob Black?" the voice asked.

Jacob was angered by the intrusion but looked to see the head coach staring at him. He slowly slid Nessie down his body and placed her beside him. Jacob watched as she took a finger and delicately wiped her mouth.

"That's me, sir. I apologize for the game tonight. We meant no harm, but your quarterback is an ass and had it coming to him, though. We'll be out of here in a few minutes, so you don't have to turn us in or anything," Jacob said hoping to not get in trouble with the university. He didn't need Sam finding out and getting angry at the behavior of his employees.

"Son, I don't care that you played tonight, and I know that Tyler deserved those hits from you, which impressed the hell out of me. I just hope he's not too stunned to play tomorrow night. That's all I care about." Coach Rasmussen folded his arms and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Can you and I talk privately? That is, if you're available." He glanced over to Nessie.

"Sure. I really didn't mean any harm, sir. You can blame me if you need to..." Jacob didn't catch the meaning of the coach's request.

"No, son, I think you're misunderstanding me. I would like to talk to you about football. I've suddenly become quite interested in you and your future with my team, Jacob." Jacob stood speechless trying to switch gears in his mind. The request still didn't compute. "I can wait for you two to say goodbye." Coach Rasmussen wasn't know for being a patient man. He stayed next to the couple not taking his eyes of off them, which made Jacob and Nessie a little uncomfortable.

"Um, can I call you later?" Jacob asked as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

"Yea." Nessie's eyes glanced over to Coach Rasmussen. She didn't like him witnessing what should be a private moment with Jacob. She stood on her tiptoes to whisper to him, so no one else could hear. She wanted to ask him in a better way and didn't plan on having an audience. "Plan on coming over tomorrow night. My mom and dad are out of town," was Nessie's request. She wanted to be alone with Jacob and had planned a private date for them. Maybe she would even attempt to cook for him.

Jacob raised his eyebrows and gave her his cocky grin. "I'll be there," he said before he kissed her lips quickly and headed off to talk with the coach.

~o~O~o~