Chapter 14

"Dad, wait! Stop, please don't hurt him." I pleaded though he proceeded as if though I hadn't said a word.

"Mom, do something!" I asked her.

She sighed. "Edward please calm down. You're overreacting."

"He kissed her." He hissed. I've never seen him so angry, he was acting like a complete dad, A normal dad which he rarely does. He's usually very chill nothing catches him by surprise.

"Wait, slow your flow. If it's anyone's fault it's mine, it was me. Let him go, dad." My dad looked like he was quite literally going to kill him.

Again he ignored me. I walked over to him. "I'm serious, not his fault, all me. Let him go." I begged. "Listen to me!" obviously he wasn't listening. I raised hand up to his shoulder and replayed every moment in his head. I proved to him that it was me who kissed him. Sure, for him it might not have been the greatest moment but al least he wasn't going to kill him. When I did that he instantly let Jacob go. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry." I said to everyone. I looked over to my dad who looked as if he was rummaging through our heads. He shot Jacob a warning look as if to remind him of something.

"Dad…daddy, please don't be mad. Please." I followed him as he walked away. I tried to sound as convincing about it, because I didn't want him to be mad.

"I'm not." He lied. I knew he was beyond mad. "It's just……you're too young Nessie. Please wait if it's not for you than for our sake, wait." He didn't leave room for disagreement. He was at my mom's side before I could say yes or no. I looked around the garage and I was completely alone. Jacob had also left.

There had to be a way for me to know what was going on in his head. Obviously he won't tell me himself. My dad won't either……But there is someone who might be able to tell me. I took my stuff and darted upstairs. I shuffled through a few shelves of books in my grandfather's office. Somewhere in there he had an address book. I continued to look for it but I found nothing. I looked around the office and found it lying on his desk. I picked it up and went straight to the C's I found the Clearwater's number instantly. If anyone knew it was either Leah or Seth or Sam. But chances are that one of them will tell me and not Sam. He's a bit like my dad and doesn't give secrets out so freely. I saved the number into my phone. I would wait until tomorrow morning. Everyone was going hunting, even me. Jacob had stopped going with me alone.

The next morning we took an hour long drive to a good hunting place. I insisted that I wanted to hunt alone and they let me. I was about 2 miles in and decided it would be as good of a place as any. I looked through phonebook and hit send.

After the third ring someone answered. "Hello?" a groggy voice answered. 'Seth who is it!' I heard, maybe Leah, scream on the other line. "Who is this?"

"It's me Nessie."

"Oh hey what's up?" He sounded surprised.

"Actually I need a favor but you can't tell anyone I called."

"OoooKay." He seemed confused.

"Have you heard Jacob's thoughts recently, in your forms I mean?"

"I haven't for a while, why?" Crap he doesn't know. Leah would be my other source.

"Nothing, can I talk to Leah?"

"I guess." He still seemed confused.

"Don't tell anyone I called though." I reminded him.

"I know." 'Leah it's for you!' he screamed.

"Hello? Who ever this is it's about 7 in the morning on a Saturday. It's way too early to be calling anyone."

"I'm sorry. I just…Well I only have one chance."

"Nessie why are you calling here so early?!"

"I need to ask you something about Jacob. I know you know."

"Ooookay, what is it?" She paused to yawn.

"You know why he's acting this way aren't you? He's ignoring me and I don't know what to do. He won't tell me why and if anyone knows it's you, you can hear his thoughts."

She sighed. She seemed to know what I was talking about. "I'll tell you but you might not like the answer. I do it because it sucks to be rejected by the one you love even though I know he's going to murder me." I waited. "A long time ago….it was your first birthday, well like you were alive for 1 year. Anyway Jacob made a promise to Edward. He swore to him that he wouldn't touch you until you were ready, he wouldn't pressure you in any way. He would wait until you were 18. Not a moment sooner."

"Wait what? Like 18 years or 18 like physically?" I can't wait that long!

"I don't know, I just heard 18, anyway Jacob doesn't like to break promises and well he doesn't intend to break the promise he made your dad and…most importantly your mom." Of course they would have something to do with it. I can't believe my dad would make him make a promise like that. I'd bet this was his idea.

I sighed. "Thank you."

"Don't ever call this early in the morning."

"Sorry." I shut the phone and took off further into the forest. Jacob was with us. Not that he hunted but he came to run. I searched through the forest until I caught his scent. I caught up to him. As I ran beside him he slowed to a walk. He obviously didn't say a word, he was in his wolf form.

"Why would you promise my dad that?" I demanded. He looked to the ground and turned to leave. "You can't just go, answer me. Did you ever think of me?" He took off into the trees. Seconds later he returned fully clothed and in him human form.

"I've been thinking about you from day one. I do things because that's what's best." I could see that he in no way admitted to my first accusation. He didn't admit to making that promise, he was being very careful.

"Best for who?"

"For you."

"Really? So torturing me is what's best? God Jacob, every time you ignore me it's like someone's stabbing me in the heart. That's not what's best for me."

My words reached him. His expression looked pained. "Nessie, you can't know that you truly want me. You think you do because I've been there all the time. There was no way around it. You were going to eventually develop feelings for me. But am I what you want? You told me once you wanted normal and I don't want to take that away from you. I want to give you what you want."

"Then give me you." He turned away. "So it's just like that, you're going to ignore me until I'm 18?"

"What are you talking about?" he played dumb with me.

"You know what I'm talking about. How could you? " He said nothing and it made me angry. "Are you going to continue to ignore me until I'm 18?" I asked again.

"I don't know what you're talking about. But I can tell you one thing I can't be the one to take a life you can have."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I want you to have normal, I don't want you to regret anything. I don't you to resent me because you could've had another life. Never feel obligated to me." He was being faithful never admitting the truth about the promise though I knew it was true. If only one day he could be that faithful to me.

"I don't, I mean I do but that has nothing to do with it."

"You say that now."

"God what is wrong with you!" I finally had enough. "I can't wait forever. It's not fair that you keep stringing me along. I can only take so much. So get back to me whenever you've figured out what you need to figure out, when you think I'm ready because I'm done waiting for you, it hurts too much. I get disappointed every time."

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The rest of Saturday was as horrible as it had started. I felt kind of free now that I had told him everything I needed to tell him. I hadn't seen him all Saturday or the small part of this morning. There was a hint of resentment towards my dad for making Jacob promise that but I was more mad at Jacob for agreeing to it. All this considering he never admitted to any of it.

My phone vibrated in my purse. It was a text. 'Hey you up for some shopping?' it was Elaine. 'Ya sure. Where+4 wat?' I texted back. 'Masquerade dress, Duh. We're going to da mall in 15. Meet ya there.' It sounded better than hanging around this house.

I grabbed my purse and keys and walked downstairs. My parent's weren't home and Rose and Alice weren't either. Carlisle was at the hospital, Esme was out in the garden and I had no idea what Emmett and Jasper or Jacob was doing. I left a note telling them that I'd be at the mall and took off.

I met them at this dress shop in the mall. "Hey! Nessie, just in time, which do you like better," Nicole held up a black floor length dress. It was strapless and a black bow above the waist. The other was a yellow halter ball gown. "I like the yellow."

"Me too!"

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the dress shop. I had yet to find something. I was still rummaging through the remaining of the racks. All four of them had found something really nice but nothing I found seemed to fit my style the good thing is that this was a great distraction method.

"Nessie, this one is perfect for you!!" Elaine cheered. I walked over to her and she had a midnight blue halter gown. It was absolutely perfect. It was like I had dreamed it up and it magically appeared.

"I love it." I said.

"OMG you guys guess who just asked me to the Masquerade!" Nicole said from behind the rack. Despite her amazing confidence she and I were the last ones without a date. Kayla was going with Joshua from Spanish. Gabby was going from Brian. Elaine was going with this sweet guy named Michael. Nicole no date and me no date, I had been asked a couple of times but seeing as 'I'm dating Jordan' guys are a little more reluctant to ask because of what happened with Julian. That and whenever I'm not with my friends Jasper and Emmett and sometimes my dad are always around me and as 'hot' as the girls around here think they are, the guys don't find them friendly at all.

"Who?" All four of us asked.

"Scott!" Nicole had been ranting about Scott for weeks now. I always thought he liked her. Jasper said he did, so I tried to keep her upbeat about it. Gabby and Kayla also had a hunch that he liked her and apparently he does.

"Through a text message, classy," Kayla teased. "We're going to have to work on that."

"Now all that's left is Nessie." Gabby announced. Yeah, maybe Jacob would get himself together in time, that's highly unlikely. "You know Jordan wants to ask but he won't do it."

"Why not?" I asked.

"He said he knows something about Jacob. He knows you like him and he doesn't want to make you feel obligated in going with him."

I scoffed. "Jacob will never ask." I admitted to everyone and myself. "If he wants me to go with him, I'll go, he's my friend. Besides he's the best option around school."

"I would go with him too. Other than the fact that's he's hot! He's not creepy or like psycho and that's a big plus." Elaine commented. I guess I would go with him, if he asked because as much as I wished for it to be Jacob he won't break his promise to my parents. And I don't want to go alone, it's my first dance.

"He'll ask, let me take care of that." Kayla said. In that moment I felt guilt because in some way I was leading him on even though I had told him about Jacob.

After we paid for the dresses we went to this upper-class costume shop where they had one aisle full of Masquerade masks. There were so many to choose from but all of really liked one in particular. Each one we picked coordinated with out dresses.

"Masquerade ball?" The sales lady asked.

"Yeah." He chimed.

"You girls have fun." She said as we finished paying.

We walked around the second floor to nowhere in particular. "Hey where do you live?" Gabby asked suddenly.

"In a house…." I said confused.

"No I mean like where in the city we've never been to your house." She clarified.

I wasn't sure if I would tell her the truth, but there would be no reason to lie. At least I don't think so. "Um…out near this forest….I don't know there's a river that passes by there. It's like really hidden."

"Hey you live near the hotel we're having the ball at." Nicole commented.

Now that I think about it there is a big hotel about half a mile down. I've never been there but I always see the signs with the pictures of the hotel. It's like renaissance style. "It's been there for ages. It's famous around here because it's so nice and hidden." Nicole continued.

"Yeah I know what you're talking about." I agreed.

"Hey why don't we get ready at your house it's close to the hotel it'd be fun to walk there? Halloween always has the perfect weather around here. It would be fun plus they always light the path like a mile both ways with lights." Elaine offered.

I actually thought that would be a good idea. "Okay I'll ask my parents."

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