WARNING: This chapter may contain insinuating content not suitable for young readers. Please read with caution.
I'M SO EXCITED BECAUSE THE CHAPTER AFTER THIS WILL BE SO CUTE AND FLUFFY AND I CAN'T. Now, please enjoy this chapter and prepare yourselves for the next one.
Also, I apologize for my writing. I have been extremely stressed out and I feel like my writing has been affected by it. It may not be as detailed or clear as usual. I promise that once spring break comes and I can breathe for a few days, I'll get back on track!
Oh, and leave lots of awesome reviews! I really wish they would make this more like Facebook so I could comment back individually and talk to all of my reviewers, because I love you all so much!
"Nori."
I flinched at the sound of my name coming from his moaning mouth. Slobbery kisses trailed from my lips to my collarbone as I trembled. I hadn't imagined this happening today. Things had taken a much different turn than I had expected.
"Nori."
A hand made its way down my arm, brushing down the goosebumps that had raised from the chilly weather. The sun was still shining down on us and, if I held my breath, I could still hear cars passing by on the highway.
"Nori."
My heart lurched in my chest as he smirked against the soft skin of my neck and pressed himself harder against me, pushing my back farther into the rough bricks behind me. I rolled my eyes up to the sky as the shadow of a bird passed over us.
I wanted to be that bird. I wanted to fly away — far away — from the assault that was taking place against that cafeteria wall.
"Nori."
"Nori."
My eyes opened and my body jerked slightly as I sucked in a deep breath. Dad was standing over me, a concerned look on his face and his hand on my shoulder.
"You okay, kid? I didn't mean to scare you."
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment to control my heavy breathing and wiped the sweat from my brow. It had been over a year since I had last let those thoughts plague my dreams. It shook me up a little to have them come back so easily.
"Nori?"
Dad was leaning down, one hand propping himself on my bed and the other still gripping my shoulder. I gulped quickly and nodded to take the look of concern off of his face. He didn't need to worry. What was done was done. There was nothing he could do about it now.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a little nightmare," I explained nonchalantly, hoping he'd buy it and leave me alone to collect myself. I was still trembling.
He cocked a brow, but didn't say anything as he straightened and looked away. He just patted my shoulder and took a step backwards, towards my door.
"Come on downstairs for a second. There's something you oughtta see," he said before walking out the door. I pondered over his cryptic statement for a moment before crawling out from the mess of covers tangled around my legs and pulling my wild hair up into a high ponytail. I ran my hands over my face to smooth out the foundation I had applied that morning and wiped any excess mascara from under my eyes. I didn't bother changing from my lounge clothes of joggers and a t-shirt - my dad was probably going to show me the highlights of a game from last night or tell me 'that's not where we leave our muddy shoes, kid.'
The first floor was silent except for the washing machine running, and after calling for Dad a few times, I made my way out the front door. He was standing in the driveway, where a third car was parked alongside the cruiser and Bella's truck. It was a small four-door sedan with scuffed white paint and a few rust patches. As I walked closer, I could see a little blue emblem in the grill, showing that it was a Ford.
From the way Dad was grinning at me while leaning against the passenger side with his arms crossed, I knew something was up.
"Who died and left their car here?" I asked suspiciously as I eyed the rust showing through the paint on the hood. The car was nice enough, but definitely in need of some work. It wasn't familiar, though. I had no idea where it had come from.
Dad shrugged. "Happy early birthday. Or late christmas, whichever."
"What?"
Dad stepped away from the car and cleared his throat. "I just figured that this would be easier than hauling you down to the reservation all the time. I know you used to go with Bella, and now that the Cullens are back, I - well." He scratched his head and motioned to the car. "I just don't want you hanging around them with her too much, so now you have your own transportation."
My breath caught in my throat as his words sunk in. This was mine? Suddenly, the rust and flaws didn't even seem like such a big deal. Everything about the car was perfect. And it was mine.
"Ohmygosh, you're freaking awesome!" I squealed as I flung my arms around my dad's neck and squeezed the life out of him. He chuckled and patted my back before releasing me.
"I'd better be," he joked, running a hand over his mustache. "I had to haggle with David Shelton at the lot for two hours before he gave me a deal on this thing." He kicked a front tire lightly and ran a hand over the rusty hood. "It could still use a little work though."
I shrugged, unable to keep the smile off of my face. I was only sixteen and my dad had still bought me a car. Nothing could bring me down today.
"You should probably take it down to Billy's and have Jake take a look under the hood. Make sure everything is running right and such."
Except that.
The smile fell from my face at the thought of seeing Jacob while my heart lurched in my chest, betraying my conscious thoughts and feelings. I hadn't seen Jacob since the incident in the woods the day he ratted out Bella on the bikes, and even though we had come to the agreement to be somewhat friends so that the imprint would be a bit more bearable, we hadn't really lived up to that agreement. Jacob had retreated to his house after he cut off his friendship with Bella and I wasn't about to be the one to reach out and make this friendship happen. I had already stuck my neck out enough with demanding for him to agree to be my friend and treat me like I was human.
"I, uh, I'm sure it'll be fine." I shook my head and rubbed a large rust spot above the corroded right headlight. I really needed to fix that light before it got dark.
Dad sighed and crossed his arms again. "I don't want you breaking down, Nori. I'd feel better if Jake checked everything out first."
"Ja-" I cleared my throat as his name begged to leave my mouth. "He's probably busy. I don't want to bother him," I reasoned.
"Nori, get your butt in the car and go to the Blacks.'" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet before handing over two twenties. "Give this to Jake. Maybe he can get some paint and take care of those rust patches."
Grimacing, I locked eyes with my father, determined to win in a glare off. He couldn't make me drive to La Push and spend God knows how long with my imprinter. I refused.
His stern, unblinking gaze burned into my own for a full twenty-three seconds . . . until a cool breeze blew straight into my eyes.
"Dammit!" I exclaimed as I blinked and slammed my hand down on the hood. Rust particles flew across the white paint like glitter, making me groan as I snatched the money from his hand.
Dad guffawed. "Don't mess with Papa Bear." He patted my shoulder and turned to walk back inside.
I rolled my eyes and muttered, "What a weirdo," as I walked to the driver's side and climbed in.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
With all the rain we'd had lately, Billy's driveway was nothing but a mudbogger's dream. I winced as my Vans sank into the muck as I jumped out. My Vans were my babies; seeing them drown in the soggy ground outside Jacob Black's door only made me want to sling my shoes at his stupid face and drive away.
I never should've come here.
"Nori?"
I jumped and glanced up at Billy Black, who had rolled out the front door onto the makeshift ramp. He smiled kindly down at me and I couldn't help but return the gesture.
"Well, uh, Dad wanted Jacob to look at my new car. You know, to make sure it won't konk out on me or anything," I explained while waving my hands around. I was acting like a nervous schoolgirl and it was driving me crazy. I had no reason to be nervous. Jacob was an acquaintance.
Deep down, I knew that I was really just afraid that he'd be a huge jerk and any progress we had made would be tossed out the window.
Billy motioned towards the back corner of the house that still had tarps slung over the dilapidated walls, where the garage sat a few yards away by the tree line. I bit my lip at the sight as the memories of when Jacob had saved my life and shoved a wolf-blown Paul into his sisters' old bedroom flooded my mind.
"He's in the shop. Just go on over there." Billy winked and rolled backwards, closing the door of the house as I willed the courage to just get the whole ordeal over with.
I took a deep breath and pictured Embry with his dimpled cheek, grinning at one of my stupid jokes for confidence and a reminder that he was the one for me, not some imprint-defined fate with Jacob. With that glorious picture in mind, I quickly made my way across the muddy yard and into the old garage.
Jacob was leaning over his Rabbit with his back to me as I peeked around the corner of the wide, open garage door. He was shirtless - as usual - and seemed to be covered in streaks of sweat and grease. I scrunched my nose up at the black gunk marring his skin. Gross.
"So, Charlie bought you a car?" he asked, breaking the silence and not even turning to acknowledge my entrance. I flinched at his voice, not expecting him to speak. Then, I felt like an idiot for forgetting about his supersonic hearing.
I nodded and mentally face palmed; he couldn't see me. Why was I such an awkward human?! "Yeah," I muttered, drawing out the word. "He doesn't want me bumming rides from Bella or the Cullens."
I didn't miss how Jacob's back tensed immediately and I momentarily felt bad for bringing up both parties. He was still having a tough time getting over my sister. I wasn't helping the situation.
"So, yeah, if you could check under the hood and make sure all of those gadgets and things work, that would be great," I continued as if I hadn't mentioned his arch nemesis and my sister. He twisted his arm and the sound of metal clinking echoed off of the walls. "Or, I could come back another time if you're busy," I trailed off, hoping he'd agree to that and I'd be able to go show off my car to Embry, Quil, and Seth.
Jacob stood and tossed a wrench onto a pile of tools on the ground to his right, between the wheel of his precious car and the weather beaten couch he kept out there for who knows what. I could see him imagining doing the dirty with my sister there.
Gah, I needed to stop thinking immediately.
"I've got time now." He turned and wiped his face with a rag from his back pocket before nodding his head towards me. "Go pull your car around."
"Can't you just check it really fast out there?" I shifted my weight to my left foot and shoved my hands into my jogger pockets. My heart was leaping with joy at the presence of Jacob, but I was feeling uncomfortable. I didn't know where we stood. I hated being in limbo with people.
He rolled his eyes and replaced the rag to his back pocket. "If you want me to actually do a good job, then it might take half an hour or longer." He slammed the hood of the Rabbit down. "I don't exactly feel like getting rained on."
Glancing up at the sky, I couldn't disagree. The clouds had rolled in and an afternoon thunderstorm was likely. I really hated thunderstorms.
"Okay, okay," I grumbled, crossing my arms as he hopped into the driver's seat of his car and started it up. I headed back across the yard towards my little white junker that still needed a name as Jacob pulled his car out of the garage.
As annoyed as I was for being stuck here with him in all my confusion, I was still a bit thankful that he was kind enough to put his own agenda aside and help me out. It was new to me.
I carefully drove through the yard and around the side to back into the garage. Jacob had parked the Rabbit off to the side and was watching me with his arms crossed.
A wave of anxiety washed over me. With him watching me and my shitty skills at reversing a car straight, I knew that this would end in disaster.
I threw the gearshift into park and hopped out. "Okay, if you want your garage to stay upright and my car to come out unscathed, you should probably back it in there," I admitted quickly with a sheepish look as I stepped away from the car.
Jacob snorted, but said nothing as he walked around the car and folded his large body into my little car. It was a four-door, making it a good bit larger than his Rabbit, but he still looked like a giant in a midget's vehicle. It was almost comical.
He easily backed the car in without wrecking whatsoever and climbed out, leaving the engine running. I was shocked with the gentleness he treated the door when he closed it lightly and propped the hood up.
I lounged across the couch and blocked out thoughts of Jacob and Bella here with thoughts of what Embry and Quil were up to as Jacob began tinkering with things under the hood.
I had never really sat and watched Jacob Black for more than a few seconds. Seeing him intently gazing down at the engine, the spark of excitement and passion in his eyes as he did what he loved, the sweat glistening on his russet skin and plastering his dark hair onto the edge of his forehead - it fascinated me.
I pretended to play with my flip phone as I watched him unabashedly. He was too focused on the moving belts and other machinery to even notice my eyes on him as he blew through half an hour of checking every detail under the hood.
"So, how does it look?" I asked after the longest forty-five minutes of storing silently at him. I was itching to just ask him if we were friends now so I could either relax in his presence or go back to avoiding him.
He shrugged, his eyes only momentarily flickering up to meet mine before returning to the engine. "Seems fine. You've got a belt that's pretty dry-rotted, though."
I waited a moment for him to elaborate, but he didn't say anything as he moved around the car to cut the engine off.
"In case you forgot, I'm a Swan." I sat up and swung my legs around to the ground so I could lean forward and rest my forearms on my thighs. "We know nothing about cars and dry-rotted belts."
Jacob snorted and shot me the tiniest of grins before pointing to something under the hood. "If you don't change that, it'll start squealing like crazy," he explained. "Then it'll snap and blow your engine."
I blanched. "Noooo," I whined softly and stood to join Jacob in front of my baby. "How much would it cost to change it?" I leaned over the hood to look at the black belt that Jacob pointed out.
Jacob shrugged and flicked at the belt. "I'll do it for free. We just have to buy the belt, but they're only like twenty or thirty bucks."
I reached into my pocket and grasped the money Dad had handed over earlier. "Well, I've got forty. Wanna go to Carquest?" I neatly unfolded the bills and refolded them in a perfect square.
Jacob lowered the hood. "Yeah, sure. Let me just get a shirt first," he chuckled as I rolled my eyes and grinned.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"Ohmygod," I groaned dramatically. "Ask the guy up front for help!"
Jacob waved me off and grabbed a package off of the shelf. "I don't need help," he grumbled.
That was a lie. We had been on the same aisle for a good twenty minutes while Jacob tried to decide which belt would fit my car. He was determined to do this on his own, which was extremely annoying since he was taking his sweet time.
"It's a '90 model, right?"
I sighed. "For the millionth time, yes. 1990 Ford Laser Sedan." I rested my forehead against the shelf and sighed again as Jacob replaced one package and grabbed another. "You know, the guy up there has a computer that can tell you exactly which belt to get. It won't take more than five minutes."
"He'll only show you the most expensive belt," Jacob huffed. "Just trust me on this."
Something about the way Jacob asked me to trust him on this tickled my heartstrings. It was strange, trusting Jacob Black after all that we had gone through with the imprint in the past few months. With the way he was treating me, it was as if he had accepted the fact that we were going to be friends. It made me feel warm inside that he had possibly decided to give this friendship a chance.
"Jacob?" I asked timidly.
"Hm?" He didn't look up from the package in his hands.
"What are we?" I lifted my forehead from the metal shelf edge and rubbed at the indention in my skin, mentally cursing myself for even doing that. I would have to deal with a giant red spot for the next half hour.
Jacob's head snapped up and his eyes met mine in confusion. My breathing stopped and I forcibly swallowed. I could sense that he had completely taken my question the wrong way and was about to snap at me or say something about my sister.
I quickly shook my head. "I mean, are we friends or are we still, like, I don't know," I trailed off, waving my hands awkwardly in the air. "I'm just curious and I'm making no sense so ignore me." I hated how I tended to ramble when I found myself in awkward situations.
Jacob stared at me for another five seconds before his shocked glare softened. "I told you I'd be your friend. I don't break my promises," he murmured. "You're kind of growing on me."
"You make me sound like a damn fungus." I shoved his arm playfully like I would with any of my other friends.
He laughed. "Hey, you're not that bad," he joked, and for the tiniest moment, when he turned to grin at me, I could almost see that sunniness return to his eyes. For a split second, it was almost like the old Jacob who used to come over in the summers and sit on our couch with the guys and watch the game with our fathers. I didn't mind that Jacob. It was the angry wolf Jacob who drove me up the wall.
He held up the package in his hands. "I'm pretty sure this one will work."
I snorted. "Fingers crossed."
He shoved my shoulder lightly with a quiet, "Shut up." I had to bite my lip to hide my smile.
The elated feeling in my chest made me want to scream in happiness to the world. Things were finally looking up. If Jacob and I choosing to be friends made me feel this good in one day, I could only imagine how great things would be for now on. No more burning in my chest and scratching or rollercoaster emotions. Jacob and I could function normally and keep this friendship while he continued to pine after Bella and I continued to crush on Embry.
As Jacob paid for the belt and I leaned against the counter, I contemplated the future of our friendship and relationships and prayed that everything would work out just the way I hoped.
