Chapter 14
Part 1
Disclaimer – Not mine! If I owned them, why in the world would I be writing Fanfic?? Duh!
Also, as the title indicates, this chapter is going to have 2 parts. It is the first and hopefully the only chapter that I'll do in both BPOV as well as in JPOV. This here, is the BPOV part… Enjoy…
BPOV
I woke up in a terrible mood which got even worse as I discovered the dark circles under my eyes. Shit! Alice was going to kill me. She was supposed to come over to help me get dressed for the bonfire, for old time's sake… her words, not mine… and now, she'd have to put in some extra effort to hide the ravages of my sleepless night. I now had a lecture from a demented, fashion-obsessed vampire chick to look forward to. What a great way to round off a perfectly horrid night!! Nonetheless, the thought of seeing Jake once again was enough to keep me from losing it completely.
I quickly took a shower and hurried through breakfast. I had to run some errands and Dylan and Lisa were keen on visiting Charlie at the hospital so we left immediately after breakfast and didn't manage to return till late in the afternoon.
I walked into my room to find an agitated Alice, pacing around worriedly all throughout the room having ransacked what looked like my entire wardrobe and all my bags.
"Alice… what the hell…"
"Never mind that Bella! Where the hell have you been? Are you even aware that there are only two hours left for me to get you ready for the bonfire!?! I know I'm good but even I'm not a miracle worker!"
"Gee thanks, Alice. I didn't know it took that much of an effort to make me presentable."
"Oh, sorry Bella…" Alice sounded genuinely apologetic. "You know I didn't mean to imply that, right? I just… I want you to look perfect. And look at you, you're all sweaty and your hair is all tangled up. You have to take a bath and wash your hair… And then I have to pick out the perfect outfit for you… which you don't have, by the way… AND then I have to do your make-up!! When am I ever going to find the time!?!" She wailed in frustration.
"Jeez… calm down! It's just a bonfire… It's not such a big deal."
God… if looks could kill, I would've been dead that very instant.
"Not a big deal? Not a big deal?!? This is a big, freaking, deal… Trust me on that! Now, stop talking to me and go and take a shower already. And don't forget to wash your hair with that new shampoo I got for you. And use that new body lotion I've left out for you too. Hurry up!!! I'm going to run home quickly to pick up some clothes that I think would be perfect for you. I'll be back in 15 minutes. You better be done before then or I will be very unhappy, Bella. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
I picked up my bathrobe and all but ran into the bathroom, trying to get my clothes off with one hand while locking the door and switching on the shower with the other. My hopping around might have been rather comical if I didn't have the terrifying image of a furious Alice at the back of my mind.
No matter how much I tried to hurry along my shower, I was still a little behind Alice's schedule. Thankfully, she didn't do something radically drastic like break down the bathroom door or something like that to get me to hurry along…
I walked into my room to find Alice, who was surrounded by a mountain of new clothes and a helpless Jasper, who was trying… unsuccessfully… to pacify her.
"Alice, honey, you have to calm down!"
"Calm down? Calm down?!? There's no freaking time to calm freaking down! We don't have enough time! Bella's cutting it short as it is! Oh there she is! Finally!! Sit down here! And don't touch your hair!" She snapped out orders like a drill sergeant. "I'm trying to think if I should curl it or just blow dry it? What do you think Jas?"
"M..m.. me?? I don't know…"
"Oh forget it! Men are so useless!! Just hand me that blow drier, will you? And the lash curler? Oh and the mascara…"
When there was no response, we both turned to look at Jasper, only to find the space he'd just occupied, empty. In fact the whole room was empty… completely devoid of Jasper's presence. It seemed like he'd made a strategic escape while he could… the lucky bastard! Now… if only I could somehow manage to do the same.
'Run, Jasper run…run for your life!'
"Chicken!" Alice yelled loudly before looking at me with narrowed eyes. "Don't even think about it! You're not going anywhere. Now sit still."
'Oh no… Please let this get over quickly.'
"Stop fidgeting Bella! Now look what you made me do. Your eyeliner is all wonky. UGH! I'll have to start all over again now."
'What? NO!! Dear God, Help. I can't take it anymore…'
"Where? I can't see anything Alice. It looks perfectly fine to me."
'Please, please God… let me get away with the lie.'
"Really Bella? Can you be any more oblivious? And please, stop trying to come up with excuses to get out of this. You'd think that I'm torturing you instead of trying to help you."
'Oh if only you knew Alice…' But I didn't dare say that out loud for fear of hurting her feelings. I sighed in resignation… might as well buck up and sit still! Get it over with, as soon as possible…
Just then, Lisa walked into the room looking for advice on what to wear and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands… and both feet too.
"Hey Lee… Alice here is simply awesome at such things! She has a great sense of fashion. And she's great at make-up too. Look, she's already helping me with mine. Maybe, after she's done with me, she'd help you with yours too… right Alice?"
Thankfully Alice was too busy repairing my smudged eyeliner to examine my motives too deeply and aimed a thrilled-excited smile at Lisa who had a 'deer caught in the headlights' look on her face. "Ooooh yes!! I'd love to!! Have you decided what you're wearing yet??"
Ensuring Alice's distraction, I looked at Lisa beseechingly, trying to convey my desperate need to be rescued from this situation. She winced at me sympathetically and then backed out of the room as fast as she could without seeming to be running away.
'The backstabbing traitor… the big, fat abandoner… See if I help her next time she needs me.'
"Umm… no… that's alright. It looks like you're really busy with Bella. I can take care of things on my own. And anyway, I don't think we'll have the time. Bella still looks far from ready and I think we just might be running a little late as it is. So you girls carry on. I'll see you when you're all done here, okay? Besides, I don't need to look as stunning as Bella. It's her day, isn't it? She's the one who has to look perfect. I'm fine as I am… really."
And… in her effort to make a quick but graceful exit… just made things even worse for me. Perfect!
Finally… dozens of vile instruments and what felt like boatloads of makeup later… Alice declared herself satisfied with my appearance! I felt like breaking out into a spontaneous rendition of hallelujah. I could not fathom how some women subjected themselves to this kind of torture on a daily basis. I was infinitely thankful that in all the growing up I'd done in the last six years, this was one habit that I hadn't felt the need to pick up.
I looked at myself in the mirror and even I had to accept that Alice had done an amazing job. I looked…good. And the best thing was, I didn't look all made up… just completely natural.
"So Bella? Did I do good or what? Was it worth all the torture I supposedly put you through?"
'Oops, apparently I wasn't as subtle about my loathing as I'd thought. Oh well… hopefully her feelings aren't too hurt. After all, she has a lot of experience in dealing with my impatience for all things 'make-up…'
"Hmmpf. Okay, okay… I admit it. You did good. And yes, it was worth it…I think…"
I hurried downstairs where Lisa and Dylan were waiting me. Dylan's shell-shocked expression and Jasper's wolf whistle were gratifying testimonies to Alice's effort. She wasted no time in telling me 'I told you so!'
Just as we were about to leave the house, Dylan… who despite his knowledge of Alice's marital status hadn't totally gotten over his crush on her… asked "Hey Alice, are you sure you and Jasper don't want to tag along with us to the bonfire?"
"Oh yes I'm more than sure." Alice said in a heartfelt but sarcastic manner. "Besides, I really don't think that Jacob or his friends would appreciate us being part of their so-called party. So, you guys go ahead and enjoy yourselves. We'll see you once you're back."
"What do you mean that Jacob wouldn't appreciate you guys being there? What's wrong with that? You are Bella's family after all… as well as her friends."
"Uh… How do I put this? Things…between the Quileute's and us are… complicated. I don't think you'd understand even if I explained the whole thing to you. Suffice it to say that we're not welcome there… that's all. And if we ignore the tensions between us and do go there, it'll cause unnecessary…issues. I don't think that'll be in anyone's best interests."
"What? You're not welcome there?? That is one of the weirdest things I've ever heard… Simply absurd! I cannot believe this nonsense. You guys are among some of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I don't understand how anyone can have a problem with you. Is this guy some kind of a weirdo or something? Let me tell you, I'm beginning to have serious doubts about this guy's intelligence the more I get to know him."
"Let it go, Dylan. You're better off not knowing, trust me." I practically had to drag him out of the house before could prolong the discussion unnecessarily.
After some argument, we decided to take the rental car which Dylan… in his typical machismo… insisted on driving. He just succeeded in reducing our life expectancy by at least a few decades by driving on the wrong side of the road… the idiot!
When we finally, and after a few close calls, reached First Beach, the bonfire was already in full swing.
The huge pit on the beach, already hosted a merry, crackling fire. Quil and Seth were acting as bartenders, dispensing copious amounts of alcohol that should've been enough to get every person in Forks arrested but it didn't even seem to faze the werewolves.
Dylan and Lisa gawked at the sheer volume of food present… there were at least six strategically placed tables that seemed to be on the verge of collapse due to the weight of the food placed on them. Under normal circumstances, with normal people, the food present there would've been enough to feed the whole United States army… and maybe even some of the Navy and the Air Force but as I secretly knew, it'd barely be enough to feed the people present here.
The moment they became aware of my presence, I was immediately smothered in hugs by Sue, Emily and Kim.
"Oh my, Bella! Look at you! You look wonderful! I'm so glad you're back… I've missed you." Emily gushed excitedly.
I couldn't believe how happy I was to see her. It was a surprising discovery as, until that very moment, I hadn't even been aware of the fact that I'd missed her.
"Hi Emily… I've missed you too. It's so good to see you again. Oh and by the way, you look wonderful too. I don't think you've changed one bit since I last saw you! I have no idea how you do that."
"Oh well… thank you for saying that Bella, even if it's not quite true anymore. There've been many changes… all good, thank god. I'm a wife now and a mother, if you can believe it! That definitely changes a person… for the better…"
Oh God… there was that pain again. An empty hollowness in the pit of my stomach… like someone had torn off a part of me and left a gaping hole behind…
My eyes automatically sought out the one person who could hold me together in such situations… but he was nowhere to be seen…
Emily went on with her side of the conversation, sublimely and blissfully unaware of my reaction to her announcement. "Come on… I'll introduce you to my babies. Do you know I have twins? Girls… I can't believe they'll be five years old soon…
'That's exactly how old 'she' would have been now…'
It just kept getting worse and worse! I wanted to fold in on myself… collapse into the void that I always knew existed inside me… the black hole of my despair…
Just as the darkness threatened to overwhelm me, I managed to push it back with great difficulty… willing myself to think of anything but the past…
Even through my despair, I was conscious of Emily calling out to someone, "Jackie, Jamie… come here. I want you to meet someone special."
Two beautiful, dark haired angels ran up to Emily and hid behind her, peeking out at me from behind their mother's legs.
"Girls, say hello to Aunt Bella. Bella, these are my babies. This here is Jackie. She's the older one by 3 minutes and she'll never let you forget it. And this is Jamie. She takes full advantage of her status as the youngest in the family even if it's only by a few minutes."
Both the girls gave me shy smiles from underneath their eyelashes.
My heart constricted in my chest. They were so beautiful… I couldn't help squatting down to their height and extending my hand to them. "Hi."
Slowly, hesitantly, they came out from behind Emily and took my hand. "Pretty…" Jackie exclaimed, in an awestruck tone. "Isn't she pretty mommy? She looks like a princess. Are you a princess, Aunt Bella? Like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty?"
I gave her a wistful smile. "No honey, I'm afraid not."
"Oh." I could tell she was disappointed. Her sister scampered over to her side and whispered something into her ear. She brightened up at once.
"It doesn't matter if you aren't a princess now. All you have to do is marry a Prince. Isn't that right mommy?"
Emily gave them an indulgent smile. "Yes that's right honey."
"Uncle Jake!! Uncle Jake! Mommy where is he? We have to get him to marry Aunt Bella so she can be a real princess."
"What? No! What does he have to do with anything??" I scrambled to distract them from their agenda, all the while hoping to God that Jake hadn't heard their calls.
"Because he's a Prince silly… If you marry him, you'll be a Princess and then you both will live happily ever after!"
I drew in a sharp breath, not knowing how to respond to that. I threw Emily a quick, pleading look.
"Alright girls, that's enough. Don't bother Aunt Bella now. Go and play with your friends. But remember, no going in the water without telling Daddy or me, alright? Now shoo…"
They looked crushed. "But we weren't bothering her, right Aunt Bella?"
"No, of course you weren't! Your friends miss you, that's all."
"Oh… that's okay then." They both turned and ran towards the rest of their friends holding each other's hand all the way. Halfway there, they both suddenly turned in unison and looked at me. "Aunt Bella, will you come and play with us someday, like Uncle Jake does?"
"Oh yes, I'd love to. Your mommy and I will come up with a suitable day alright?"
The joy that lit up their faces in that instant was bright enough to light up my whole day. They were so beautiful; it actually, physically hurt to look at them. I turned away quickly, not wanting Emily to see the sudden sheen of tears in my eyes.
I felt Lisa's hand on my shoulder, and looked at her gratefully, once again thankful for her quiet understanding and support. Emily cleared her throat and I could see that she was still feeling guilty for the twins' behavior. "I'm sorry Bella. I know it must've been awkward for you to hear them talk about you and Jake that way but they idolize him." She explained helplessly.
"He's their Godfather you see, and as far as they know, he can do no wrong. They think he walks on water and fights all their demons singlehandedly… and then to top it off, he never says no to bed-time stories or ice-cream. He spoils them rotten and they love him, unconditionally. Sometimes I think they love him even more than they love either Sam or me. Believe me; they couldn't have paid you a better compliment than saying that you could marry their beloved Uncle Jake. It means that they really like you."
She thought that I was upset about the girls comment about Jake and me. Well… good… It didn't hurt to let her go on believing that. Embarrassing though it was, it was still better than the truth.
"Uhh… I understand. Don't worry about it. It's forgotten. So… where is Jake and the rest of the guys? I don't see them around, anywhere.
"Oh, they're just taking a dip in the sea."
"In this weather?!? Are they freaking crazy??" I think everyone heard Lisa's exclamation.
Emily hurried to set things straight. "Oh… no… it's not what you think. Sammy dared them to." She sounded really flustered.
Sammy? Why was everyone all of a sudden referring to Sam as Sammy?? First Jake and now Emily… it just sounded so weird!
Suddenly there was a raucous burst of laughter near the water's edge, signaling the pack's presence. I looked eagerly towards the water hoping to catch a glimpse of Jake.
Oh yes, there he was. GOD…
My breath caught in my throat as I saw a bare-chested Jacob walking out of the ocean in form hugging denim jeans… rivulets of water running down his washboard abs. He looked mouth wateringly delicious and I suddenly had the mental image of licking up every single one of those water droplets off of his body. As I watched in barely veiled hunger, he ran his hands through his wet hair, slicking it back from his forehead.
Lisa elbowed me discreetly in my side. "Oh My God, girlfriend, that is one hot piece of ass out there! I mean, seriously… Just look at him."
"LEE!!! What the hell??" Dylan closed his ears, a pained expression on his face. I couldn't agree with him more…
Then her attention shifted to the rest of the gang and she let out a breath that was a half sigh, half gasp... "Jesus, Bella! I don't think I can breathe."
I threw an astounded glance at her. I'd never ever in my association with Lisa seen her having such a strong reaction to anyone… and I mean – anyone! So I guess, this meant that she really, really thought that Jacob and the other guys were hot. And even though I wanted to hate her for it, I couldn't because, come on… anyone with a decent set of eyes in their head could see the 'hotness' of any of these guys.
"What?! Don't look at me like that. I'm alive you know? I have needs… and I have eyes!"
Dylan gave both of us a disgusted looks, apparently sick of the way the conversation was progressing.
"Hey! Don't blame me. Just remember, I'm not actually saying any of these things, Lisa is." I inserted a quick disclaimer.
But Dylan wasn't buying it…"Oh yeah? You might not be saying anything but that doesn't mean you're not ogling."
"What? I can't even look now?"
"Are you serious?? You're seriously asking me that?? Un-freaking-believable! You guys are incredible. And I don't mean that in a good sense so don't smile proudly. Just tell me one thing… how can you say guys are sick when you basically just did the exact same thing that we do? You just checked him out like he was a piece of meat. I mean, I'm not even him and 'I' feel violated!!"
Quil and Seth, who'd been able to hear every single word we'd just uttered, snickered loudly while throwing me mischievous but discreet grins. I couldn't help but imagine the kind of thoughts they must be having right now.
To make matters even worse, I was excruciatingly aware that the rest of the guys… Jake… would all be able to see and hear this conversation in their minds later on. How embarrassing! I'd have to ensure that Lisa would be far, far away from any of the guys before she made any such kind of comments in the future. Preferably in another State… or on another continent!
I excused myself from the conversation and began walking towards Jake purposely, determined to forget this little incident as soon as possible.
As I was walking towards him, I couldn't help but admire the easy sexiness in every move that he made. Lithe, graceful, beautiful… He embodied the wolf in every possible way, in every gesture. Right on cue, he threw his head back in laughter, reacting to some joke or comment unknown to me and the glamour of his smile made me feel weak in the knees. He was completely sensual… absolutely male.
Someone in the pack must've seen me and alerted him to my presence because, right at that very moment, he glanced up and our eyes met across the space between us, the laughter fading from his face as he read and correctly interpreted my expression. Suddenly, I was acutely conscious of the sizzle of electricity in the air all around us. It wasn't like anything I'd ever felt before and right away, I knew I was deep, deep trouble!
Six years ago, after putting us both through a lot of heartache, I'd finally accepted the fact that I'd been in love with Jake but this… this sudden awareness that I felt…was something totally new… though not completely unexpected. Was it just me or did he feel it too?
Time seemed to stand still all around us and it felt like we were the only two people in the whole wide world! His beautiful eyes lit up in a heart stopping, mischievous, triumphant grin… as if he was aware of my exact reaction to him at that very instant. I think my heart missed a couple of beats before pounding in answer to that grin. All I wanted to do was run across the distance between us and jump into his arms, kissing every single inch of skin I could reach on the way…
Just as my heart made the decision to do exactly that, I saw a tall, beautiful girl rise up from the water behind Jake and run full tilt towards him, leaping onto his back and wrapping both her arms as well as her legs around him from behind. Jake stumbled due to the sudden, unexpected weight and so did my heart. My step faltered…
She leaned over his shoulder to say something in his ear. I couldn't hear the conversation between them but whatever she said made Jake laugh out loud and tighten his hold on her legs. Her melodious laugh rang out in the air and I couldn't help clenching my fists in anger.
'Get your fucking hands off him you Fucking Bitch!! Don't cling to him like a whore! You have no right to even touch him… he's mine!! Let go!!'
My mind was screaming but I couldn't get myself to actually say the words out loud… because I knew that it wasn't true. He wasn't mine… I had no right over him. I'd given up any claims I'd ever had over him when I'd walked out on him six years ago. For all I knew… this girl could've more of a right to touch him than I ever did. That realization still didn't make the situation easy to accept…
What made matter worse was that whoever she was, she was gorgeous in ways that I, myself would never be and I knew that the image of the two of them together… like this would forever be etched in my memory.
I couldn't believe the horrible flashes of jealousy that were flowing through my body right that very instant. I wanted to wrench her arms away from Jake… just push her away and then rip her hair out… or maybe tear her eyes out of their sockets! I'd never been a very violent person but right now, at this very instant, I'd have had no problem getting physical.
I would've walked away at that very instant if I could've gotten away with it but unfortunately Jake had already seen me and I couldn't come up with any 'spur of the moment' explanation to excuse my departure. Plus, I couldn't very well abandon my friends here, could I? I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down as Lisa had taught me to do and determinedly turned away from the both of them.
I walked over to where Quil and Seth were still serving drinks. I desperately needed something strong to help me deal with the image I'd just been witness to.
"Hey Quil!"
"Hey Bella… I see you're still empty-handed. Tut tut… We're such bad hosts! What can I get you?"
"What've you got?"
"Oh don't you worry about that. We've got just about anything and everything under the sun, right Seth? You just have to choose your poison."
"Well… in that case, I'll have a Screwdriver. Just make it half vodka, half orange juice… nice and strong. None of that watery stuff, alright?"
He gaped at me in astonishment. "Bella… I… I don't think you should have something that strong…"
"And why the hell not?? What's so wrong with me drinking whatever I want?" I demanded belligerently.
He gulped audibly and threw a panicky glance towards Seth as if asking for his help. When none was forthcoming, he gathered up his courage, looked me right in the eye and replied, "Because Jake would kill me if I allowed you to, that's why."
"Well… screw him! Do you see him around here, anywhere? No, right? Then why should either you or I care what he thinks or says?"
"Umm… yeah… I still don't think so!"
"What? Do you always do what Jake says… blindly?? That's just so lame! Are you 24 or 12??"
Quil laughed, completely un-offended by my desperate ploy to embarrass him in an attempt to get to some alcohol while Seth looked at me like I had lost my mind a little… which maybe I had. "Uh, yeah! We kinda have to Bella. Jake IS our alpha, you know."
'Oh right… Oops… that kinda slipped my mind for a moment there.'
But I wasn't about to give up so easily.
"Whatever! You guys are just a bunch of pansies!! What does a girl have to do to get some alcohol around here, huh?"
"Do we have a problem here?" a quiet voice said behind me.
I froze dramatically… refusing to turn around. I could've identified that voice anywhere. It was embedded in my psyche… and deep within my heart.
I couldn't understand how he could've just walked up behind me without me being any wiser to his approach. Usually, I was so very conscious of his every move…
My whole body tingled with awareness as I felt his heat on my back. Every pore of my being was aware of the fact that if I just leaned back a little, I'd be able to feel his bare chest against my back… and oh god, I was so tempted to…
"Not a problem exactly… well… you decide for yourself. Bella, here, wants a screwdriver…with 50 percent vodka in it!"
A pin drop silence followed that statement, during which, I waited with baited breath for Jake's response. A part of me resented the fact that I had to have his permission to even get a drink around here… but the other part was eager to hear his opinion. I could feel his eyes on me, boring holes into my back. I had a strong feeling that he was mentally urging me to turn around but I refused to give him the satisfaction… especially not after the display he'd just subjected me to with that slut!
Finally, just as the silence was becoming too fraught with tension, he answered, "Quil, give her what she wants but keep an eye on her, okay? If she starts indulging too much or if it starts to affect her too much cut her off… immediately. You got me?"
"Sure Jake. Whatever you say… You got it!"
'Kiss ass!'
"Bella… do you understand what I'm saying here? I don't want to hear anything later about you giving either Quil or Seth a hard time, you hear?"
"Oh I understand… loud and clearl!" I retorted resentfully.
Where the hell did he get off treating me like a wayward child?? Who the hell did he think he was? My parent? My guardian?? What right did he have to lay down rules to discipline me??
I didn't actually say any of these things even though I was seething inside. With outward calm, I took the drink Seth handed me and began to walk away towards where Lisa and Dylan were hanging around with Emily and Kim.
I sensed Jake following me and braced myself for an interrogation.
"Bella…"
Here it comes…
But before he could say anything else, there was a high-pitched whine behind him.
"Jakey, where are you going?? You can't abandon me like that! Come on… you promised you wouldn't. I miss you! You know how I feel so lonely without you."
I stiffened in horror. Oh God! I'd recognize that grating, annoying, cloying voice anywhere… especially after the way it had dominated my nightmares all throughout the night yesterday. It was her; the simpering bitch from last night! Good God, what was she still doing here? And who the hell was she?? Apparently, the situation was even worse than I'd imagined it to be last night!
And even through the disgust and despair pulsating through me, I had to admit that I had an overwhelming curiosity to see who this faceless, nameless nemesis was!
I forced myself to turn around only to immediately wish that I hadn't! The girl in question was the same girl who'd tackled Jake from behind just a few minutes back and she was once again draped all over him; her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug… her body touching him in every place possible!
God she was so pathetic. Did she have to cling to him every single minute? To top it off… they now both seemed oblivious to my presence…
To make matters even worse, up close, she was even more beautiful than I'd originally thought. She was tall and slim, beautifully proportioned with easy, graceful movements. In fact, I'd have killed to have a body like hers! She had dark hair, just like Jake's and vibrant green eyes in a stunningly arresting face. She was the kind of person who'd stop conversations just by entering a room and she knew it. Confidence oozed out of her every pore. In other words, she was everything I was not! Confident, vibrant, beautiful, arresting, graceful… and God I hated her!
I cleared my throat loudly hoping that it would be enough to penetrate whatever cocoon they were wrapped in. Fortunately, it was…
"Jay-Jay… who is she?? Do you know her? Why haven't you introduced us yet?" She pouted prettily.
'Jay-Jay??? Oh… You have GOT to be kidding me?!?'
I decided to take matters into my own hands!
I gave her a syrupy sweet smile and introduced myself. "Hi… I'm Bella. Bella Swan. Jake's best friend. And you are…?"
I cringed inwardly at the obvious insecurity that came across in my greeting. I couldn't have been more obvious if I'd said, 'Back off bitch! He's mine!' Of course, it didn't help matters that I'd also been very tempted to add 'Jake's best friend and the love of his life' to that greeting. I would be eternally grateful that I'd somehow managed to refrain myself.
'The Bitch' offered me an equally sickening smile. "Hello Bella, nice to meet you. I'm Samantha by the way but my friend's call me Sammy." I could see him giving her a disgustingly sweet smile. "I'm Jake's PA and his friend too… I think."
"What do you mean, I think? Of course you're my friend, Sammy. You know you are. Don't act coy. It really doesn't suit you!" Jake hastened to reassure her.
This was Sammy?? Oh God!! This was who everyone had been talking about! Of course I should've realized this sooner… but I'd been too involved in my feeling of jealousy to pay attention to all the glaringly obvious signs! But now, I didn't have a choice. Apparently, this was Sammy and somehow, in some way, she was very important to the pack… and to Jake…
And I couldn't even hope that she was just some dumb twit. Even now, as I was busy trying to avoid puking all over her beautiful feet… I had to acknowledge that the girl was extremely shrewd…almost cunning. She'd been clever enough to get Jake to admit to their closeness in a very disarming way, without seeming too desperate, needy or territorial... unlike me.
She gave me a triumphant smile almost like she knew exactly what I'd been thinking about. "So… you say you're Jake's best friend?? That's funny… he's never mentioned you even once in the six years since I've known him. Don't you think that odd?"
God that hurt…
'BITCH!! Can I rip her hair off and punch that perfect smile off of her face? Would anyone mind if I did that? Would Jake?'
"Oh no… there's actually an explanation for that. You see, Bella and I kinda had a falling out. We had a misunderstanding and didn't see each other or speak to each other for six years! Crazy, huh?"
'What the HELL is he doing??? Revealing all our history, all our secrets to her?? Ugh!'
'Sammy' had a very amused smirk on her face as she heard Jake's explanation.
I gave him a nasty glare that at least made him shut the hell up.
"Ah that explains it I guess. Hmm… so you guys haven't spoken to each other in six years, huh? Incredible! So… then, Bella, is it? How do you know you're still Jake's best friend, huh? He could've had loads of 'new' best friends in the time since you guys have last met. Cos six years is a long time. Things change… People change… they grow up and move on, don't you agree?"
'Oh God… she's right! So much time has passed… I've changed… What makes me think that Jake hasn't? I'm such an idiot!! What right do I have to even call myself his best friend? Maybe he doesn't feel that way about me anymore!'
Hot tears stung my eyes and threatened to overflow…
'God! That is the last thing that you want to do Bella… cry in front of this horrid person! Don't let her have the satisfaction! Come on… you can do it… I know you can! Deep breaths Bella… take deep breaths… she's not worth it…really…'
I had to get out of there as quickly as I could!
"Anyway…. Sammy, was it? It was nice meeting you. But… I have to go see how my friends are doing. I've pretty much abandoned them since I got here and I need to make sure that they're not bored or anything like that…So, yeah, bye… I guess I'll see you around or something."
'Or not… if I had anything to do with it!'
I gave both of them a tight smile and hurried off to where Dylan and Lisa were standing around having a conversation with Quil, Embry and Seth.
"Hey Bells…wait up."
'Oh for the love of…What now?!? Can't he just let me walk away with some of my dignity intact?'
"Is everything okay? You seem a little out of it."
"Oh no… everything's fine. Having fun you know, just chilling out dude… "
Jake was giving me an odd look, convinced I'm sure, that I'd finally gone off the deep end.
"Look Jake, I really have to go! I don't want Dylan and Lisa to feel like I've completely abandoned them. I'll catch you later, alright?"
"Hey hun, I just heard my name mentioned. Were you looking for me?" Apparently Dylan had walked up behind me while I was busy talking to Jake. So much for my escape plan…
"Uh no… not really looking… I just wanted to see if you guys are comfortable, you know?"
Please, please, please take the hint and get me out of this conversation… I pled him with my eyes.
"Oh we're doing fine! You don't have to worry about us sweetheart. We're having a lot of fun. And in any case, we can take care of ourselves, you know?"
Idiot! Why oh why couldn't guys ever get any hints?! Maybe Alice was right… guys were useless… and clueless too!
I decided to use another line of approach, hoping that this at least would work out. "Where's Lisa?"
"Where do you think? She's dancing her little heart out!"
"Where? What?" I looked around stupidly, only to notice that somebody had set up a portable music system with speakers and there were a lot of people dancing around the bonfire.
I'd been so involved in Jake that I'd been completely oblivious to everything else. Now that he mentioned it, I couldn't believe that I'd been so oblivious to the loud music that seemed to have suddenly sprung up in the last few minutes or so.
"Anyway, as soon as the music started, I knew we had to get out there and dance and I began to desperately miss my favorite dance partner! So whaddaya say partner? Wanna dance?"
"Oh come on! You've known her how long now, and don't even know such a basic thing about her? Bella doesn't dance!" Jake ridiculed.
"What're you talking about?? Of course she does! At least, she does with me… right sweetheart? Come on… let's hit the floor!"
And he dragged me right along with him towards the designated dance area…
I squirmed uncomfortably, trying desperately to get him to let go of my hand but all my efforts were in vain.
"Let me go, Dylan! What the hell are you doing?" I hissed at him in a furious half whisper.
"Do you trust me Bella?"
"Of course I do! What kind of question is that??"
"Good… then trust me now. This'll make your life far, far better and much simpler in the long run. Just follow my lead. And whatever you do, don't look at Jacob… at all."
'Hmmm… maybe he wasn't completely useless after all…'
A/N: -First of all, I'm really, really sorry for the delay in posting this. I really intended to get this out sooner but was stuck by a sudden case of writer's block! Thankfully, as you can see I'm over it now and hope to post the next chapter very soon.
Secondly, like always, a huge 'Thank you' to Cheryl and Ashley, my wonderful betas'! You guys are the best beta's a girl could ask for! But you are both much more than that… you are the best friends a girl could ask for. Thank you both, for being so understanding and supportive and helpful. I definitely couldn't do this without either of you.
Once again, a quick reminder for all of you to check out Ashley's stories that she publishes under the username 'augustblack'. Seriously, you shouldn't miss out on them… they're wonderful!
And thirdly, and this is to all you wonderful readers out there, you gotta review people!! If you like the story, please, please take the time to just leave a short note saying you do! And I'm not only talking about my own story here… the same applies to all the other wonderful stories out there. Do you have any idea the kind of effort that goes into writing on such a massive scale? I think I'm talking on behalf of all the author's out there when I say that it tends to take up our life! And we do it with for no other reason than for our own pleasure and the pleasure of the readers! So be kind enough to at least acknowledge the effort… Please?? I'm begging here.
And to all those of you who review regularly, I thought I should publicly acknowledge how much it mean to me. Truly, it makes my day to get a review alert! Thank you sooooo much! And please, keep on reviewing.