So many reviews for the last chapter! That makes me one very happy girl! Of course I have and want to thank all the awesome people who take the time to review my story: jblc77, kikikiki, PhyscoPenguan64, Claire, Happy2BeeMe, MysteriousAndChaotic, bubz, heartstwilight, Mebs2010, Mythical Words, happinie93, XXWhispersInTheDarkXX, nene82743, .blown, SerenityAngels, wolfhappiness, ChelseaDagger14, Luli Cullen, ShatteredKunai, angel057, hollywoodab, lyarnah5, Jinxfrost14, Wasipi, Caroline Ogando, LSU lovePurple liveGold and . I love the fact that so many of you seem to relate to Erin but please don't hate Jacob too much...

Chapter 45

For the next three days I didn't see Jacob at all. Not seeing him doesn't mean he hasn't tried to get me to talk to him. He hasn't stopped calling me, leaving me sad voicemails, sending me sorry text messages and knocking on my window each night. I do know I'll eventually see him the moment I leave this house which is why I'm dreading getting up right now.

Bryan told me Jacob has been sitting on our porch, waiting, every day now. My dad must have noticed him too but he's not speaking to me right now. He's never been more disappointed in me he told Bryan.

The only positive thing that came out of all this is that now at least I know where Jacob is every moment of the day. Though maybe I should be a little worried that he hasn't gone to school these last three days. I was right, the moment I stepped out of my house, I came face to face with Jacob.

"Erin, I'm so sorry."

"Save it. I don't want to hear it."

"You have to let me apologise." He begged.

"I don't have to do anything."

"Please Erin. At least let me explain to you what happened with Emma."

"No thank you. I just ate." I snapped.

"Please?"

I've always been a sucker for those eyes. He just looked so desperate and sad.

"Fine. You've got two minutes."

"Thank you. Do you want to sit down?"

"No, if you want me to listen to you, you'll have to talk while I drive to school."

He must be feeling really bad because he just agreed to get in a car that I'm driving. I got into my truck and waited for him to do the same before taking off towards school.

"I did go to Emma's house after talking to the pack to tell her we couldn't hang out anymore but she didn't take it very well."

I had known Saturday night that he was lying about her being fine with it. I should have pressed him that night to tell me the truth.

"She got pissed and told me I should break up with you."

"Was that the moment you decided to kiss her?"

"Damn it Erin. I didn't kiss her! Why would I even want to do that?"

"So what did happen?" I ignored his question.

"I told her that she shouldn't say things like that and then out of the blue she kissed me."

"And that shocked you?" I said sarcastically.

"Yes, not everybody has the worst case scenario in mind every moment of every day."

"And I do? Is that what you're saying?"

"I don't want to fight with you, Erin." He sighed.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you lied to me."

"Are you actually going to listen to me or just pick a fight?"

"Fine! Though technically your two minutes are already up but since we're in a moving car right now and I'm guessing awkward silence must be even worse than this conversation, I'll put up with the sound of your voice."

"Thank you, I think. So of course I pulled away the moment she tried to kiss me, of course I did, Erin."

"And of course after that you just had to lie to me about it."

"Let's try something new. I do all the talking and you just listen." Jacob tried.

"You're the one who wanted to talk, it's a two way street."

"I'm trying to tell you something."

"Oh, there's the school. Looks like your time is up. Pity."

"Wait."

He pulled me back after I had parked the car and tried to get out of it.

"I just want you to know that I pushed her away because I don't want someone other than you to kiss me."

That's not going to happen anytime soon.

"I freaked out because I really didn't see it coming."

"I warned you!"

"I know. But I thought you were just jealous like I'm irrationally jealous of Andy."

"You're what?"

"What? You can get jealous for me hanging out with Emma but I can't?"

"There's a big difference. Andy's not trying to steal me away from you."

"I know that but he still gets to spend time with you when I don't."

"Wait! And you thought I was just being irrationally jealous? If you knew what it feels like, why didn't you stop it?"

"Would you stop hanging out with Andy if I asked you to?"

He's right. I wouldn't.

"You changed the subject. We were talking about Emma kissing you and you not telling me."

"Right, I went back to the pack and told them what happened."

How come the entire pack always knows much better than me what's going on in my life? That's just so unfair.

"They said I should tell you when you weren't jealous anymore."

"And you agreed with them?"

"They had a good argument."

"Which was?"

"You'd just use that as an excuse to break up with me."

"Why do you all assume that? Embry said the same thing."

"Because it's true. Every time something's getting a little hard, you run away even after you promised me you wouldn't."

"Don't talk to me about breaking promises. You said you'd put enough distance between you and her. If you did that, there's no way she could have surprised you with a kiss on the lips."

"Okay, so we're both not good at keeping promises. But there is one thing we're really good at."

"What's that?"

"Being together. You and me."

"Really? Because every time things are good, one of us messes up."

"Messes up? That's a little exaggerated, don't you think?"

"You're just saying that because this time it was you."

"And next time it'll be you and we're even again."

He looked so hopeful and it's not like I don't want to be with him. I've never really had dumping him in mind but he should know that just because he imprinted on me, doesn't mean he gets to do whatever he wants and he sure as hell doesn't get to lie to me.

"You kept it from me."

"I know and I'm so, so sorry."

"And it's not the first time you did that."

"I know and I really am sorry."

"Stop saying that and rather explain to me why you do that."

"I don't know okay. I wish I had some really good reason why I don't tell you those things but the truth is I just worry that you'll freak out and I want to spare you that."

"Stop that! I'm not this weak little child that needs your protection. You're treating me like a five-year old who's not allowed to know mommie and daddie are having a fight." I yelled.

"But that's what I'm here for. You're my imprint, it's my duty to protect you."

"From evil vampires who want to use my insides to make a milkshake, yes. Not from all the other things. I don't need your protection for anything else."

"You don't need me?" He asked me frightened.

"Is that what I said? No! I'm saying just because there's something bad going on, you can't leave me in the dark because you want to 'protect' me. I can take care of myself."

"But that's my job."

He sounded like a wounded child right now. Why can't he just understand that I'm not some baby who can't take any bad news?

"This conversation is pointless. You're not even listening to me."

"Then explain it to me. Please."

"Fine. Just like I don't want you to tell me what to do, I also don't want you to only feed me happy things so I'll never get angry. You hiding important stuff from me only makes the situation worse. You didn't tell me you were a werewolf and I hid inside my house for an entire week afraid big wolfs were coming to eat me. You didn't tell me how much you had hated imprinting at the beginning and we were apart for an entire week. And now you didn't tell me that Emma kissed you and I didn't speak to you for three days. How did keeping things from me ever benefit you?"

"You're right. I'm sorry. But you can't tell me you wouldn't have gotten angry if I had told you from the beginning."

"Of course I would have gotten angry, especially after I had warned you but I would have eventually cooled down and then I would have actually talked to you these past three days."

"And you wouldn't have gotten suspended."

"No, I still would have hit her in the face."

He laughed and I couldn't help but smile a little as well. But as sure as hell made sure he didn't notice that.

"Now will you please explain to me why it was so very important to you that you could hang out with Emma? And where were you really during all your so-called patrols?"

"I will, right after you tell me the reason Andy didn't speak to you for a while."

I sighed. Well, I wanted honesty. I might as well show him how it's done since he has no idea how to do so.

"Andy liked Emma and asked me if he should ask her out. By then I already figured out she was after you but I just thought that if Andy would ask her out, maybe she'd back off from you. So I let him humiliate himself in front of her."

"Erin!"

"I know, okay. It was a terrible thing to do but that's what jealousy does to me. I freak out and I act like some kind of crazy person. I humiliate my friend, I start yelling at a full classroom, I go through your text messages-"

"You went through my text messages?"

"Yes, I did. Because that's just one of the crazy things the jealous version of me does. And it's not like I didn't have any reason to be suspicious."

He knew I was right and he even seemed a little pleased that I had gone that far to check up on him. How could he be pleased with that?

"How did you get Andy to eventually forgive you?"

"I got him wasted."

I heard the bell ringing. We had already missed first period and the past three days. I might as well miss another hour.

"Now I want to hear the answer to my question."

"It wasn't that much the fact that I had a friend outside the pack. That was nice but it's not really what it was about. She told me about her mother and how much it helped that she had me to talk to. She told me she really needed me as a friend."

"Okay?"

"That's it. She needed me and I want to be needed. Not necessarily by her but just needed. And nobody does. My dad knows how to get around and has enough other people helping him. My friends have found their imprints and don't need me anymore either. Even my own imprint doesn't need me because I know she can take care of herself."

"That's it? All I had to do was say I needed you and you wouldn't have spend any time with her?"

"But you don't need me."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jacob. Of course I need you. I just don't need you to hide things from me but I do need you."

He smiled and for a moment I felt the need to reach up and kiss him but things weren't completely made up yet.

"Let's try something new. From now on we tell each other what's bothering us instead of keeping it to ourselves and driving ourselves crazy."

"That sounds good."

"Now there is still one question you haven't answered. What was up with all the patrols lately?"

"Are you sure you want to hear everything? It's not good."

"Is it something bad about me?"

"No."

"Is it something bad about you?"

"Not really."

"How bad can it be then? Shoot."

"Bella is pregnant."

"From you?" I shrieked.

"No, no, of course not." He quickly said.

Thank God, he got me really worried there for a moment.

"From the leech." He growled.

"How does that even work? Isn't he sort of dead?" I asked confused.

"Yeah, I don't get that part either but it happened. The pack is trying to figure out whether that thing is a threat or not." He grumbled.

"Wait, so this entire time you've been juggling between me, Emma AND Bella?"

"You're making me sound like some kind of player."

I cocked my eyebrow.

"I'm not!"

"Whatever. What does this thing have to do with all the patrols?"

"The pack wants to hurt Bella. I can't let that happen. Don't get jealous, Erin. She's still my friend and I promised her I would fight for her until her heart stopped beating."

"Can't she just get an abortion or something? I can't imagine her child being cute since it came from you know, a dead dude."

"That's what the leech wants as well but Bella sees that thing as her child and won't let anyone hurt it. And the leeches are going along with what she wants."

"So let her have the ugly kid."

"No, Erin. That thing is slowly breaking her from the inside out. It's killing her."

"So what happens now?"

"I don't know. I'm afraid I'll just have to sit there and watch her die."

I may not like Bella, I might even say my feelings for her have a strong resemblance to hatred but she is his friend. I wouldn't let something like that happen to Jackie either. I reached out to take his trembling hand in my own.

"I don't think she'll die. I can't imagine getting rid of her that easily."

"Erin." He sighed a little pissed off.

"Sorry but I think that's true. Besides doesn't she always go on and on about how she'll be with the vampire for eternity? Eternity is pretty hard to manage when you're dead. I really do believe she'll be okay."

"Thank you, Erin."

"But that doesn't mean I'm not angry at you for hiding this from me as well."

"What? But you said you wouldn't get angry if I was honest with you."

"No, I said I'd get less angry. There's a difference."

"So how long exactly are you going to stay mad at me?"

"I don't know yet. But I do know there will have to be a lot of grovelling from your part before I forgive you."

"I can do that." He smiled.

"Good, you can begin by finding me a really good excuse why I just missed my first two hours after three days of absence."

We got out of the car and I was already thinking how I would pucker my lips to make the teachers be kinder to my tardiness when Jacob pulled me back gently.

"There's still one other thing you don't know."

Oh, for the love of God. I don't think I can handle any more mind blowing information but I should use his probably temporarily honesty to my advantage.

"Someone imprinted on Zoe."

Some people wanted her to stay mad at Jacob and others wanted her to forgive him. That makes it kind of hard to satisfy all of you but what do you guys think?