I hope you guys know how much I love you all. I just spent three hours I was supposed to be working on homework writing this!! Lol, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This chapter actually turned out better than I'd hoped! If not longer....

Anyways, thanks to all you guys who reviewed, I hope you like this one just as much :)

Standard Disclaimer Applies...

Second period went by quicker than I thought possible, considering I found Geography a horribly boring subject. You know you're in a small town when you walk into a room and everyone stops talking to stare. Word must have gotten around within hours of Grandpa calling the school that we would be out of school sick for a few weeks. I had kind of expected everyone to be excited to see Brooklynn again, since everyone in this classroom had known each other since they were in diapers, but I was almost speechless when the students started asking me how I was. Most of the students who considered Brooklynn as one of their friends were now including me too.

I was shocked, but I liked it too.

After Geography, Brooklynn and I headed over to English, talking to a bunch more people on the way there. A couple of junior guys went out of their way to ask how I was doing; only pausing to say hi to Brooklynn as they continued on to their class. As they walked away, Brooklynn and I glanced at each other and started laughing.

Life was back to normal.

And it was good.

Dad and Jasper were waiting just outside our English class. They didn't say anything, something very common for our family, they just nodded to us and then continued on towards their own class.

I had to laugh; they were waiting here to make sure we got to our next class.

On second thought, I started to frown. If they were going to keep this up everyday, it was going to be a long rest of the semester.

On a good day, English was bearable, but most days it was just mind numbing stupidity. The teacher was French, as in from France, almost as old as my Dad, and as dense as a rock. Usually he never paid much attention to his students, and just lectured to us. Today was different though. Brooklynn and I usually sat on the far side of the classroom, near the back of the classroom where we could talk to each other to get us through the class. But within the first ten minutes of class we were talking to the two basketball players, a couple drama geeks, a few cheerleaders that were sitting in the vicinity.

Needless to say, it was the first time the teacher noticed anything going on in his class. But instead of yelling at us, he just gave up, and let us out early for lunch saying the noise had given him a headache.

We walked out of class, laughing, and I couldn't help thinking that things were looking up for us.

"Hey, do you want to go wait for the guys to get out of gym?" Brooklynn asked as we stopped by our lockers, dumping our books before heading for lunch. The hallways looked deserted, seeing as we got out of class twenty minutes early. "There's not much to do till lunch. And besides, I wouldn't mind seeing the guys in gym. I hear their playing soccer; shirts and skins." Brooklynn winked at me, laughing brightly.

"Sounds good to me. If we're lucky they'll be all sweaty with their shirts off." I joked, slamming my locker shut and heading down the hallway arm in arm with my best friend.

We went out through the girls' locker room and headed towards the bleachers beside the field. We had to sneak around the side of the building to keep from getting caught, but that wasn't difficult (me being a half vamp and all), and came up between the bleachers and the sports equipment shed on the far side of campus. We crouched down so that we had a good view of the boys, but were just out of the view of the cranky gym teacher.

Jacob and Chris ran by a moment later, shirtless and sweaty, chasing the ball towards the opposite goal. Brooklynn was mumbling something under her breath about werewolf abs that I couldn't quite hear but caused me to laugh. Jacob passed to Chris who easily could have scored, but passed to one of the other guys on their team, a tall gangly guy, who took a shot and scored for his team. Chris and Jacob cheered as they ran at each other, jumping and slamming their chests together like football players.

Brooklynn and I had to cover our mouths as we laughed at their antics. It was great to see the guys living normal lives and having fun.

"Damn Nessie, how did we get so lucky?" Brooklynn whispered, her eyes locked on Chris, who was still laughing with Jacob, running his hands through his hair to get it out of his eyes.

I laughed, "Ah, Brooklynn, I like to think they're the lucky ones to have us."

"Too true." She agreed, the wind whipping around the corner blowing her hair in her face, causing us to laugh again.

Jacob turned suddenly and Chris copied a moment later, apparently catching our scent in the wind. I nudged Brooklynn, not that she wasn't already looking at them, and we smiled and waved at the guys.

Chris smiled back, taking a quick look to see where the teacher was, but Jacob looked almost nervous.

"What's up with him?" Brooklynn asked having noticed Jacob's almost sour look. She had gotten to know him well enough to know that it wasn't quite right.

I didn't answer her right away. I was staring across the field, trying to see what Jacob was trying to tell me. His lips were moving at a furious speed, and my eyes strained to see the words.

Damn half vampire eyes… I grumbled mentally. I could just barely make out a 'be careful' and a 'go back inside', but I wasn't sure.

His eyes darted towards the bleachers, then back to where we were hiding. The game was continuing around him, and Burns was yelling for him and Chris to get back in the game, but they ignored it. I tried shushing Brooklynn, to see if I could hear what he was so desperately trying to tell me.

That's when I heard it. I smelt it a moment later when the wind shifted back.

"Damn it." I mumbled, nodding back to Jacob that I finally understood.

"What's up?" Brooklynn asked, actually turning her head to look back and forth between Jacob, Chris, and me.

"Devin…" I craned my head around the side of the bleachers, looking up them too see the faces of those students sitting out this gym class. I didn't see him sitting there with the rest of the injured, and he wasn't anywhere on the field.

I could hear Jacob now. He was on the sidelines talking to Coach Burns; more like yelling at Coach Burns.

"Look sir, I'm not feeling well. We probably should have listened to my Dad and sat out of gym class for a few day." Jacob argued, casting another glance over to me.

"Common Coach, I feel like I'm going to be sick." Chris chimed in.

"You boys looked just fine a few minutes ago." Burns argued back roughly. "Get back in the game or I'll fail you. There's only a few minutes left anyways." He snapped, turning his attention back to the game.

I looked around the field once more, trying to catch a glimpse of Devin, but he wasn't there. Jacob's eyes crossed mine; he looked both furious and worried.

I smiled, hoping he'd understand that I was fine. He nodded, and went back to the game. You could tell he wasn't putting the effort or attention into it he was before, he was searching the area himself, looking out for me.

"It's funny, I wouldn't have expected to see you again so soon."

I could have smacked myself. Devin walked right up behind us, and I hadn't even noticed him.

Dad, I'm fine, I promise, but you and the guys might want to head to that storage shed behind the field. There could be problems.

Dad was going to be furious when he caught up with us.

Brooklynn tensed up beside me, and I could feel her eyes on me.

Considering everything that had happened, I should have been terrified of him. He had attacked me, physically, mentally, and I had every right to go running across the field screaming Bloody Mary. But for all that, I wasn't scared of him. In fact, I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

What did surprise me, though, was that after everything my aunts and uncles put him through he was still standing in front of me.

"Hi Devin," Brooklynn whispered angrily. Apparently she wasn't still scared of him either.

"Brooklynn." He nodded to her. "And Miss Swan. How lovely we should meet again."

"If you say so." I mumbled, angling slightly so that I was in front of Brooklynn. "I must say I am surprised to see you. Didn't think you'd be caught dead anywhere near me."

"Huh?" he genuinely looked confused. "Oh, you mean your family paying me a visit this morning? Can't say I'm too scared of them. I'll admit, they were pretty intimidating this morning, but then I started thinking about it."

Figures, he had to actually be intelligent.

"Uh, Ness, what happened to Jaspers' whatcha'ma call it?" Brooklynn whispered so softly only I could have possibly have heard it. I shrugged, then whispered a couple words back.

"Reasoned his way out of it."

She looked at me nervously, and I smiled. Brooklynn looked shocked for a moment, then smiled back herself.

"Anyways," he continued as if we hadn't interrupted at all, "I figure after what your boy toy dished out the other night me and my buddies deserved a little pay back." He smirked, his dark eyes staring at me from under the dark skin. Jacob must have beat the shit out of him, because he still had bruises. In fact, he looked like it had just happened the other day. He was listing slightly to the side, probably from the broken ribs he'd gotten, and his words were slightly slurred from the broken jaw.

Well, he got what he deserved at least. And he'd get it again.

Only this time, I didn't have to hold back.

I started smirking myself, and Brooklynn groaned.

"Oh hell, here she goes…" Brooklynn mumbled, turning and taking a seat on the ground to watch, remembering that when I smirked it usually ended in bloodshed (unfortunately when working with vampires it was either mine or a werewolf's).

Devin looked momentarily confused, but then continued towards us. About two feet out he leaned against the shed, a fake charming smile on his face. He looked the same he had when he had first introduced himself, the same as when he had found us by the lake.

This time, just like the first time, it didn't scare me at all.

"So where did we leave of beautiful?" He asked, running the back of his hand gently against my cheek.

"If I remember right you were on the ground unconscious." A voice said from behind us.

Devin pulled his hand back, slowly. It was a controlled motion, showing that he either wasn't worried about Jacob, or was too stupid to be.

Jacob was still dressed in his gym clothes, or lack there of. Chris was only a step behind him, shaking slightly from anger.

I looked over my shoulder and gave the boys a smile, letting them know I was fine, and absolutely in control.

"You know," I said softly, moving a little closer to Devin. He flinched, almost as if he wasn't quite expecting that. "I think we were a little closer, say, like this."

I closed the gap between us, almost close enough for us to touch. I saw Dad, Mom, and the rest of my family come flying around the corner, stopping silently almost twenty feet away.

Alice was smiling, almost as if she already knew the outcome and had just come to see the show.

I'm fine Dad. Enjoy what the boys have taught me.

"I think I could get used to this." Devin whispered in my ear, reaching out to pull my hips closer to his body. "Hmm, you're perfect." He glanced up at Jacob, almost as if he was showing off that he'd gotten me.

Idiot…

"You know," I mumbled, craning my neck to look up at him. "I think you're a little tall for me."

He looked confused for an instant, probably at the obscurity of my comment, and the fact that Jacob was taller than him.

I just smiled happily as I kneed him in the crotch, as hard as my half vampire strength could.

He crumpled to his knees, leaning back against the shed. His face had gone pale, and he was swearing like a sailor.

"There we go." I said happily, trying to sound as happy as Alice always does. "Perfect height for this."

"For what?" he mumbled through the pain, glaring at me from behind dark eyes.

"For this." I said happily as I punched him solidly in the face, knocking him to the ground with a few less teeth. He groaned once, but then didn't move.

"Damn girl, you knocked him out cold." Chris said with a laugh as he and Jacob came to stand up next to Brooklynn and me.

"I told you guys she'd be fine." Alice said smiling as the rest of them caught up. Dad and Jasper looked a little upset, but Emmett seemed to be enjoying it.

"I can't believe he actually had the balls to try that." Jacob said, wrapping his arms around me. "You did great." He whispered in my ear.

"Umm, I still don't get what happened. Wasn't he supposed to be scared shitless by Jasper?" Chris asked, his own arms wrapped around Brooklynn.

Jasper shook his head, "It works the best at that moment, when I'm close and concentrating on it. It wares off if the person actually thinks it through rationally." He explained. "It's all mental."

"He thinks rationally?" Chris asked; we all ignored him.

"But what about you Alice? Didn't you see it?" Jacob asked angrily. I glared at him, and his expression softened. He was worried about me, and as much as it annoyed me, I loved it too.

"Oh I did see it." Alice replied with a smile. "But I saw the outcome too. So I figured instead of having Edward worry about it all morning I'd just let it play out. Turned out ok to me."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. We all did. It helped ease the tension.

"Lunch?" Brooklynn asked.

"Sounds good to me." Chris said.

My family glanced at each other before Emmett spoke up, laughing like he always did. "Sure, after you both take a show. You smell worse than normal."

We ended up leaving Devin unconscious on the ground.

Someone would fine him eventually.

If not, what did I care.

Unfortunately...

Hey, hope you enjoyed it!!! I had fun writing it :)

LEave a review, I always appreciate it :)