Nikky Black: The whole scene was actually a dream and did not happen in real life. Sorry.

NimfXx: here you go.

Chapter 37: Old Faces

The next two weeks passed in a blur of worry, restlessness and surprisingly excitement.

I would still have occasional nightmares about Victoria but all together I was actually sleeping better. I still made Alisha sleep with me in my room and I always kept a can of hair spray and a lighter on the stand by my bed but all in all, it was going better.

School became the one place I could relax. I wasn't worried about Victoria attacking in such a public space and so those moments became the few that I could truly be at ease. Although the frostiness that had developed between Chelsea and I had given home ec a tense atmosphere.

The one thing that had truly made me happy and actually relax though was the bike. The ride with dad had been amazing, both for the pure exhilaration and for how much stress it had made go away. I couldn't wait to learn to drive but for that I had to get the red bike done. Dad wouldn't let me drive the black one.

Despite my reservations when it came to working on the bike, I quickly came to find out that it was actually comforting in it's own way. Dad sat next to me as he described what each piece was and what it did. He would then point to where it went and I would follow his directions as I pieced the engine back together. He always checked after I was done with a piece and I had to redo quite a few of them but that didn't matter to me. Hearing the buzz of the lights above us, the tap of the rain on the roof, the soft tones of my dad's voice, smelling the gas and oil, even the metallic scent that all the new parts had, it was comforting. Although the new found interest in the bike didn't change my view on normal vehicles. I felt no urge what-so-ever to learn how to fix my truck. I knew how to change a tire and that was enough for me. The bike though, I wanted to be able to fix every part of it. I wanted to be able to tear it completely apart and put it back together with a practiced hand. I wanted to know what every wire and bolt did. And then when it was finished, I wanted to soar down the roads as the wind tore at my clothes. I wanted to feel that exhilaration again and more than that I wanted to be in control of it, not just a passenger.

The whole experience of being on the bike might also have reminded me of the sensation of running with the Cullens but I didn't focus on that, pushing the thought away.

Between, school and cheering practice, it took me all two weeks to actually get the bike completely put together. I put the last piece in place on Friday night but dad would only let me turn it on to make sure it actually worked. Saturday morning, he was up early and took the bike for a small ride to make sure everything was in working order. It was only after he was completely satisfied with it that he decided that it was time I learn.

Seeming there was hardly any traffic, Dad was going to teach me on the stretch of road in front of our house. As we got ready to do this, Charlie also came out of his own house to join Kathy and Alisha who were sitting on the tailgate of my truck. Ironically, even the audience I now had didn't deter me from my excitement.

Dad had me straddle the bike as he stood in front of it. "Now, point to the clutch." He said and I pointed to the bar behind the left handlebar. "Throttle," I pointed to the right handle bar that spun. "Shifter." I moved my left foot that was resting on the gears. This went on until I had pointed at all the pieces he asked for. Although I knew what each piece was and roughly what it did, that didn't mean I knew how to work them.

"Okay, to shift gears, you need to hold the clutch, move the shifter into gear and then slowly release the clutch while you give it a little gas. If you do either of those too fast, the engine will die on you. Now to start it, you'll have to turn the key on, grab the clutch and put it in neutral. The gears go park, 1st, neutral, 2nd and so on so to get it in neutral you'll have to do two clicks up. After that, you can try kick starting it and don't be afraid to give it a little gas."

My head was only spinning slightly as he threw the terms at me but still, I did my best to keep up with him. I turned the key and pulled the clutch and put the shifter in neutral. It was what came next that I started experiencing problems. I put my foot on the kick-starter and after a second the lever gave. I nearly lost my balance and I probably would have fallen if Dad hadn't been there helping me stabilize it. All the same, there was a slight noise from the engine before it died.

"That was a good first attempt but you need a lot of weight behind it. Put as much as you can on it to really help."

I did as he said, the bike only wobbling slightly. Again it started for a second before it quickly went silence.

"Remember to give it some gas."

Shit. Okay, let try this again. I used the handlebars to help me balance as I put all my weight on the kick starter, making sure to twist the throttle only slightly. The engine roared to life and I felt the familiar vibrations between me. I couldn't help grinning up at my dad.

He smiled back, nodding. Over on my truck, Alisha cheered while Charlie glared at the bike.

"Okay, now here's the hard part. Putting it into gear." He said.

Oh god, I really hoped he was joking. The motorcycle was facing out towards the road so at least I didn't have to maneuver it yet.

Remember what he had told me, I pulled the clutch in, letting go of the throttle as I clicked the shifter one down. Dad moved so he was now standing beside me rather than in front.

"Now you need to make sure that you slowly release the clutch as you give it gas." He said and I nodded, concentrating on doing as he said.

Slowly, inch by inch I let the clutch go as I gave it gas. It lurched forward to the end of the driveway before stalling. I might have screamed a little bit at the unexpected movement. Behind me I could hear my dad laughing.

"Well that wasn't a bad first attempt. Start the bike and try again." He told me.

On the truck, despite himself, Charlie was even cracking a grin.

This time it only took me two times to start the bike but again as I went to put it into first gear I stalled it. I kept trying but I couldn't seem to get the combination right. First I would let it go too fast and the next time would be too slow. I giving too much gas or not enough. I just couldn't seem to get it right.

It must have been my tenth time trying to start the stupid thing that I finally was able to get it right. The engine revved slightly before slowly rolling forward. I let out a squeak of excitement as I angled it out of the driveway and down the road. I only went about twenty feet before slowly turning it around in a wide u-turn and heading back towards the driveway. It was only as I was approaching it that I realized that dad had never told me how to stop.

I took another pass, this time turning around by Charlie's driveway as I tried to remember. I had worked to put this thing together so I should be able to figure it out. There was the brake right behind the throttle but that was a bad idea to use, mostly because it was connected to the front brake. The one for the rear was done by my right foot.

Cautiously, I eased my foot onto it as I approached the driveway again. Thankfully the bike slowed and I was able to come to a complete stop in front of my dad.

"What do I do to stop it?" I asked, my foot still on the brake.

"Put it back into neutral." He said.

I tried to but again it stalled as I was trying to get the combination between the clutch and throttle right. Oh well, it stopped anyways.

Dad had me take a couple more spins around, starting and stopping it at various points, by the time an hour had gone by, I could now start it on my first try and put it into first gear on my second. There was still plenty of time stalling it however and Dad made me keep it in first gear as I rode around on the road. It only went slow in first, slow enough that I could probably keep up with it if I was running beside it. I wanted the speed, to see feel the wind and everything.

That was why as I reached the end of the road and turned to head back to the house, I let go of the throttle as I pulled the clutch. Two clicks up put me into second gear. I eased off the throttle and gave it a little gas, glad that I didn't stall it this time. The bike continued down the road, going the same speed it had been before, although maybe a little faster. Maybe I could try going into third gear.

Before I could do anything else, I felt something click against my foot and as soon as it did, the bike shot forward, pushing my shoulders back as wind streamed against my face.

Shit, shit, shit. I hadn't expected it to go this fast and the surprise of it had me frozen for a second. But that second was all it took for a car to come around the corner and zoom by Charlie's house.

Shit! I tried turning the handlebars to angle myself towards the right side of the road but I wasn't used to the speed. The tire turned before jerking back and forth for a few seconds. The car honked as it whizzed by me and I was able to feel the wind it created as it passed.

I was only able to feel relief for a second before I realized that I still didn't have control of the bike. It raced forward and I only had enough time to tense before I went head first into a ditch on the side of the road. The front tire sunk into it and I flew over the handlebars, landing painfully on my back.

I groaned but I could still hear the bike revving, the engine groaning. I looked up to see that the front tire was still spinning, gouging out grass and dirt before throwing them into the air. I flipped over, quickly crawling over to the bike as I looked for the kill switch. It took me a second to find it and then the engine was silent and the wheel stopped spinning.

I literally had all of three seconds to gather myself back together before my dad was standing in front of me, his blue eyes filled with worry. Charlie and Alisha were right behind him followed by Kathy.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded, quickly double checking everything as I did. Everything seemed fine although on closer inspection I noticed that I had scrapes on the both of my hands as well as my aching back. Still, it wasn't anything big.

"This is why these things shouldn't be on the road. She could have been killed." Charlie spoke up, his face going red.

I couldn't help rolling my eyes. "It was just an accident." I said. "It could have happened to anyone and it's not like everyone has a perfect record when it comes to driving a car."

Dad was nodding along as he stood the bike up, checking it over. "It's actually good for drivers to have some type of accident as they are learning the vehicle. It insures that they won't underestimate it in the future."

I could tell by the slight edge of his voice that I might be getting into trouble for this.

Charlie didn't seem to have anything else to say to that but he did continue to get redder. Eventually he just turned around and marched back to his house. The four of us that were left walked back to ours, dad wheeling the bike along with it. We both quickly checked it over, asserting that nothing had been done to damage it.

"I guess that it for today. We'll do more another." He said as he stood, dusting off his hands.

"Wait, please, let me have one more go with it. I promise I'll be careful and I'll keep it in first gear." I spoke up.

I didn't want to end on a bad note like this. When that happened, when you ended something with fear, it lingered. I didn't want that fear to stay and effect me the next time I tried to drive the motorcycle. I didn't want to be gripped by worry and end up never driving it again. I wanted this and I didn't want it taken away from me just because I was being stupid for a second.

Dad must of seen some of this in my face because after a moment he nodded letting me have another chance. This time I was able to start it and put it in gear the first time I tried and then I was off down the road, doing the same slow loops I had been doing before. The only difference was that this time I didn't allow myself to be impatient. Instead, I relaxed into the pace, the vibrations, the sound. I enjoyed the gentle caress of the wind, playfully tugging at the ends of my hair.

After a few minutes of this, I pulled back into the driveway. Dad gave me a small smile when I managed to turn the bike off without stalling it. "That was a lot better." He said.

After the bike was wheeled next to the black one, they were both covered with a tarp and then we headed inside. Kathy and Alisha sat in the living room, sipping on hot chocolate as they watched t.v. They had gone inside after I had drove into the ditch, probably so they wouldn't have to see if I did it again.

Alisha ran into the kitchen, coming back with two mugs that were gentle steaming. She handed one to dad and one to me, before climbing back onto the couch and taking a long sips of her drink. I smiled as I took a sip of my own, enjoying the warmth. Silence descended on the four of us, the only sound the t.v. that Alisha was probably the only one actually watching.

"So …"

Everyone turned to look at Kathy as she sat on the couch, looking down into the mug she held. Her other hand was even picking at the couch and at seeing this my curiosity was peaked. Even when Alisha had been a brat to Kathy she had never been almost nervous like she was now.

"Tomorrow I was thinking about going down and visiting my parents." She spoke, still not looking up. "They live on the outskirts of Seattle, about a three hour drive away."

I couldn't help grinning at how cute of a picture she made. It was like she was a teenager asking someone on a first date.

"I've told them a lot about all of you so I was wondering if you would want to go with me and meet them. It will probably take all day so I understand if you can't, I know you all have busy schedules and you don't have to come anyways but it was just a thought. They would love to meet you girls as well. I was an only child growing up so they were kind of disappointed that I never had any children. They would be ecstatic having some children around the house again."

My dad stood, grinning as he reached down to take her hand. She abruptly stopped talking when he did, her cheeks going pink. I was doing all I could to stop myself from laughing.

"Of course we'll come to meet your parents." Dad told her. "After a request like that how could we say no."

I couldn't resist snorting as she sent him a little glare.

"It's not like I have to ask people often if they want to meet my parents." She said as she pulled her hand away, turning towards Alisha.

Dad laughed as he reached down and kissed her cheek. She couldn't help smiling back at him before Alisha all but jumped on their lap.

"Does that mean they are kind of like grandparents?" She asked.

Both dad and mom had been only children as well. Dad's parents had died when he was young, around sixteen. He had moved in with an aunt until he had turned eighteen. It had been the death of his parents that had made him want to become a doctor. Mom's parents had passed away when I was young, young enough so that I don't even remember them so we had never had grandparents before, it had only ever been the four of us. Apparently Alisha liked the idea of there being more than just that.

Kathy nodded and Alisha just about danced around the living room with glee. It was only as this was happening that I remembered that I had cheering practice tomorrow. Shit. I was kind of looking forward to the trip.

"Actually I can't go. Coach has a mandatory practice for tomorrow from 10-2." I explained.

"Aww," Alisha said. "Can't you just skip once?"

I gave her a look and she pouted. It was weird of her to suggest that anyways. "You'll just have to tell me all about them when you get back."

Kathy stayed the night and the three left the next morning at eight for their three hour journey. On the other hand, I slept in, waking up with enough time to eat a bowl of cereal before heading to cheering practice. When I got out, I checked my phone to see a text from dad. I flipped it open, seeing a picture of Alisha standing next to two older people. All three of them were smiling and Alisha was holding what looked like an old glass doll. Well, I was glad she was enjoying herself none the less.

I drove my truck home, parking next to the bikes. I was half way to the door when I froze noticing a form sitting on the front steps.

"Jake?" I asked, somewhat in between surprise and anger.

His head shot up, eyes wide. How had he not heard me drive in with my truck? When he spotted me, he broke out into a grin, one I hadn't seen in ages and despite the anger that was rolling in the pit of my stomach, I couldn't help smiling back at the sight of him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, quickening my steps until I was next to him on the porch.

"I had my dad come with up here. He took off with Charlie as soon as we got here." He explained. "Besides, I had to show off my car."

I glanced over and I could clearly see the white car that used to sit in his garage. "You finished that thing?" I asked, my eyes wide.

He nodded, proudly. "Yup, although it did take a little longer than I had planned."

"Well with your busy schedule lately, I'm not surprised about that." I said, moving past him as I opened the door. For a second I thought about closing it behind me but instead I left it open for him to come in.

"Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you about all that and apologize. I guess Alisha isn't around?" He asked.

I shook my head. "The others went up to meet Kathy's parents." I explained.

His brown eyes widened. "You mean she went willingly?"

"A lot's has changed the past few months." I threw my stuff on the couch and looked over at him, taking everything in for the first time. "Have you grown taller again?"

He grinned before nodding. "And buffer to, look at these muscles." He tried posing but I simply rolled my eyes.

"Better lay off the steroids then."

"Hey," He exclaimed. "I worked hard for these things."

"I've seen girls with bigger muscles." I teased.

"That's because you do cheering. I swear all of you are freakishly strong."

I laughed, glad that we were still able to joke like we used to. I missed this.

"At least if La Push ever decides to start up a cheering team, you'll know to join it."

This time he rolled his eyes.

"So seriously, what's been going on with you?" He asked, sitting on the couch.

I took the chair across from him. "Nuh uh, you don't get to do that. I want an explanation of the past few months first. I still haven't ruled out the option of chucking you out the door."

He groaned as he ran his hand through his hair. "It's Chelsea." He said.

I snorted. "Well that's not a surprise."

"It's not like that. At first it was great. I really liked her and we really hit it off. She was amazing, beautiful, funny, everything I thought I wanted in a girl but it was after Christmas that everything just started to get weird. We would constantly be texting to the point where it would get annoying and she would always bug me about when I would be up to visit her. If I couldn't then she would come down to see me. It honestly got to be a bit much but I thought it would just blow over."

As he spoke, I realized that after Christmas she had started acting a little weird too. That was the point where she had seemed to be downplaying everything with Jake.

"She was over one weekend when we were in the garage and I was working on the car. I was talking about how you had called the house and I was planning on coming up and visiting soon. As soon as I said that she started talking about dates we could go on and planning out all this stuff. It was bad enough so that I barely had time to do homework and I couldn't seem to say no to her. I did one time and she showed up at my door, all dressed up as if we were still going and she practically dragged me out to her mom's car."

"From there it just got worse. Anytime I even mentioned you, Alisha or anyone else for that matter she would just about go crazy. At one point I even saw her snooping through my phone. You realize she was the one that had it when you guys kept calling that one day. Sorry about that anyways."

He paused and I blinked, surprised at everything that he was spewing out. Although I had expected something along these lines, I hadn't thought it would be quiet this bad.

"The past couple weeks have just about pushed me to my breaking point and I can't stand it anymore. I told her I was sick and basically kidnapped dad so no one would be home if she did show up. I'm just glad she hasn't come here looking for me yet. By the way, if she does, I'm hiding and you're going to come up with some lie."

I chuckled. "Sounds like you're in quite the pickle."

"You have no idea but it won't last much longer. I'm going to break up with her soon. I can't deal with any more of this." At this point he had started pacing around the living room, the arms moving animatedly as he told his story.

"You do realize Valentines day is in a week, right?" I asked.

He paused before he swiftly swore. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What should I do?" He asked, turning to me.

I held my hands up in surrender. "I've never had to break up with anyone so don't come looking for me. Anyways, at this point no matter what you do, you're going to look like a jerk. Just don't do it on Valentines day, do it either before or after."

"Definitely before, I'm not putting up with any of that valentines shit right now." He said.

Part of me wondered if I should feel bad for Chelsea. I'm mean she had been my friend before she started dating Jake but lately she really hadn't been, not to mention everything she had put Jake through and he had been my friend longer than she had. Oh well, at least I only have to deal with her in home ec.

Jake and I hung out for another few hours, talking about everything that had happened the past few months. He was happy that Alisha was finally getting along with Kathy and had seemed to accept her. We talked about the recent bear sighting that have been on the rise, although to be completely honest I hadn't even really noticed them. I was to busy with everything else but it did make me wonder what was going on. Maybe with the Cullens gone the population was on the rise. I snorted at the thought.

The conversation of the bikes came up when he noticed the scrapes on my hands and we ventured outside so I could show them off. I was smart about it though, we were just looking.

Eventually Billy came over to collect Jake. As we were saying our goodbyes, I made him promise that he would come back again next weekend so he could visit with Alisha.

"She really misses you." I informed him.

He nodded as he frowned. "I know. I feel bad for kind of ignoring her too but don't worry, I'll be back."

"You better," I told him, started to wag my finger at him. "If not I'll have to actually kick your ass."

He laughed. "Well, next Sunday then, how does that sound? Maybe I can take you two on a ride in the rabbit."

"Maybe, but who knows, perhaps by then I'll be giving you a ride on the bikes."

"As if I would trust you to do that." He said snorting as he waved goodbye.

If only I had known in that moment that I would actually have to keep that promise.

Okay, I want to say sorry for skipping so much time. I feel like every chapters has two weeks to a month in it and I don't really like that. Still, I'm trying to get to the point where all the action is actually happening and the next few chapters are going to start really picking up when it comes to that. I'm hoping that the Cullens will all be back soon an by soon, I mean in like ten chapters so yeah, you have that to look forward to. In the next chapter we will see Jake being absent, AGAIN. So I hoped everyone enjoyed the chapter and thanks to all of those who have been leaving reviews. They really help when it comes to actually sitting down and writing all of this out. See you all next Thursday.