Meadow walked into school on time for the first time in what felt like forever. She hadn't been on time since she first started shifting and she had wrecked her perfect attendance because of it. She threw her bag in her locker and grabbed the materials she would need for the first half of school.
Class wasn't the same anymore. She couldn't concentrate due to lack of sleep and her grades had dropped. It wasn't a drastic drop, but she felt she could do better than a B average. If she didn't get it together soon, she would be averaging a C. Almost all of her teachers had approached her about it, but she couldn't give them an exact reason. It frustrated her because she was doing the best she could with her situation.
When morning classes were over, she trudged to lunch. She was so hungry and wanted nothing more than to eat and take a nap. Thankfully, Paul had patrol, so he wasn't there to keep her from doing so; well, more like distract her from doing so. She entered the cafeteria and ignored the stares she received. Honestly, if they only knew she was busting her butt and ruining her already terrible reputation for their sakes; they wouldn't be gossiping like old ladies and pointing fingers at her if they did. She grabbed food enough for two people and sat down at a table by herself. She would've sat with Jake and Embry, but she didn't feel like sitting with them. She really just wanted to be alone.
She scarfed down her food, not caring what anyone thought of her at that moment, and laid her head down on the cool hard surface of the table afterwards. She heard a bang and felt the table her head laid on vibrate. She sighed and looked up, only to regret it when her eyes met Quil's. She had avoided him for some time on Sam's orders. She felt guilty for keeping secrets from him when he was like family, but she didn't want to get on Sam's bad side again. He already didn't like her for some reason, so she wasn't about to give him another reason to hate her.
"You joined, too, huh?" Quil asked bitterly. She stared at him. She noticed the small dark bags under his eyes and wondered if the loss of his friends kept him up at night. She saw the hurt masked by the determination in his eyes and made up her mind. She nodded her head in affirmation.
"So, you're just gonna stop talking to me, too?!" he shouted. It garnered the attention of the few tables nearby and Jake's and Embry's attention from across the cafeteria. She met their eyes and they silently asked if she needed help. She declined it. She knew what she had to do. It might make Sam mad, but it wasn't like she was fully disobeying his orders. If Jake could get around Sam's gag order without consequences then so could she.
"I'll talk to you," she said. Quil looked at her in surprise. He didn't know what to do with himself. Finally, he nodded his head and sat down across from her. She really wanted alone time; time away from others. Being in the boys' heads and them in hers for hours on end really drained her; however, she would do anything for family.
"You, uh, seem tired," Quil said after a moment of hesitation.
"Long nights," she said simply.
"You can, uh, lay down again if you want. Sorry," he apologized while rubbing the back of his neck. She shrugged and did so.
"You can keep talking. I'll listen," she said as she closed her eyes and settled her head on her arms. She saw him nod before her eyes slid closed.
"Why are you talking to me?" he asked. "Jake and Embry don't."
"You must have spent too much time around them to forget that they're idiots," she said. Quil snorted and Meadow let a small smile slip onto her lips.
"Sam told us not to tell Quil anything."
Meadow's ears picked up on the whisper from across the room. Of course it would be Jake to say something. He was protective of her and was displeased with Sam's actions, but he was a big hypocrite.
"I'm not telling him anything he doesn't already know," she whispered back.
"Huh?" Quil asked. She shook him off with a shake of her head.
She silently listened to Quil nervously ramble about his day until the lunch bell rang. She picked up her heavy head and stood to throw away her garbage and Quil mirrored her actions. Before Quil could get far, she stopped him and said, "You're like my brother, Quil. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. And don't be so hesitant to talk to me next time."
He smiled at her and said, "Then, can we hang out after school? It's kinda lonely, you know, with everything."
She frowned and said, "I can't."
Quil's smile dropped and he scowled.
"Right. I forgot."
"But, I'll call you when I can."
He beamed at her again and said his goodbyes. He walked off to head to class while Meadow turned to meet the stares pinned to her back. Reluctantly, she walked over to them and the trio walked until they got to a secluded and more private area. Jacob and Embry turned around and stood with their arms crossed and a frown on their faces.
"Why'd you do that?" Embry asked first. "You'll get in trouble."
"I didn't tell him anything," she said.
"It doesn't matter. Sam will still be mad," Jake said. "You know how he is."
"Yeah, I know how he is with me," she said, stressing the last two words. "He isn't like that with you guys."
"You do challenge him a lot," Embry said. Meadow scoffed and looked away from the two younger boys. She wouldn't stand there and listen to the excuses they were making for their Alpha.
"If he feels threatened by my challenges, then he shouldn't be Alpha," she said in disdain.
"You can't say stuff like that!" Jake scolded her.
"What good is a leader who can't take criticism or challenges?" she asked. She watched as they seemed to think it over. Wariness dawned in their eyes and they pursed their lips.
Embry sighed before he said, "It doesn't matter. Sam's the Alpha and what he says, goes. That's just how it is."
"And what if it were different?" she asked quietly.
"What, you mean Jake?" Embry asked dubiously. He glanced at Jake and laughed. "Jake will never take the position."
She frowned and balled up her fists. She wasn't referring to Jake. She looked down and glared at the floor. The boys were so narrow minded it killed her. She wanted to hit them and make them understand without her saying anything. She had to be careful. They were in each other's minds far too often to declare anything.
Jake snorted and said, "Yeah, I'll never take the position. Sam can deal with that."
"Just be careful, MeMe," Embry said softly. He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened from the contact and her eyes grew sharp. She stared at him in warning, causing him to sigh and step away. Still, he kept his hand where it was and tightened its grip.
"We just don't want to see you get hurt," he said before letting her go. They walked off to class while she walked out of the building. Unfortunately, it was her turn to patrol. As soon as she was out of sight, she shifted into her copper and silver form and cleared her mind as best as she could.
I'm here, she informed Paul, Jared, and Sam. Paul immediately changed his direction and raced to get to where she was. It took him about a minute to reach her and he rubbed against her when he did. If her skin wasn't covered with fur, she was sure she'd be red. She gave him a light and loving bump with her head before she pulled away from him.
I get it, she said. She tried to keep her voice stern but hints of amusement leaked out. Paul ignored her and flicked her with his tail. She nipped at his feet in return and ran off to start patrolling. She felt, in her mind, Paul shift and sighed as she realized she was left with the two of the wolves she was least comfortable with. It was silent between them. Uncomfortable. She knew she had to try to at least have some kind of civil relationship with them, so she put aside her personal feelings.
Has it been quiet? she asked. She cursed when it came out more timid than she intended. Jared snorted.
Don't push yourself, he said. Sam sighed while Meadow ignored Jared's dig.
Just be civil, just be civil, just be civil, she kept chanting in her head. Then, she remembered they could hear her and she cursed again. Honestly, it was so irritating.
Nothing so far. We haven't seen the redhead in a while, but we still need to stay on our guard, Sam said. Meadow breezed through the trees and scanned her surroundings. It was a pretty quiet day. It was almost peaceful. Tranquil. She breathed in through her nose and basked in the nature around her.
Focus, Sam snapped at her.
Right. Sorry, she said reluctantly. She couldn't enjoy anything anymore, apparently.
If you get distracted, a vampire could get through, he said. She knew he was right, but she had other senses. Usually, they smelled the vampire before they saw it. I was quiet again before Jared spoke up.
Did you see Kim today? he asked.
And you talk about us, Sam said.
I haven't seen her today yet, he complained. You see Emily every morning and Paul sees Meadow more than I see Kim!
I saw her in the hall, Meadow said.
Did you talk to her? he asked. Did she ask about me?
I didn't talk to her, Meadow told him. He whined and muttered in his head.
You need to become friends with her, Jared said.
So you can get details out of me? she asked. No thanks.
Sam interrupted their conversation when he came across a scent. Meadow and Jared rendezvoused with him and helped him sniff out the scent. It was old, but it was one they had missed before. It was going to be a long patrol.
"You already got thirds," Jared complained when Jacob went up for another burger. Jake avoided the swat Jared aimed at his legs and continued his trek to the food. They were holding a bonfire for the pack and the tribe elders. It was a way to get everyone to bond and such. Meadow sat between Paul's legs with a plate in her hands and a drink on the sand beside her. Jake passed her as accidentally kicked her drink over. She scowled at him and righted her pop so it wasn't leaking anymore.
"Here," Paul said. He handed her his and she accepted it gratefully. She took a swig of it and gave it back to him.
"Keep it," he said. She deadpanned and gestured towards the ruined pop can.
"If I keep it down here, he'll just knock it over," she told him. He smiled sheepishly at her and put the can somewhere safe. Meadow leaned back against Paul and held up the plate of food in her hands. He took the last hotdog on the plate and scarfed it down. Meadow stood to refill the plate, but Paul put a hand on her shoulder and volunteered to do it for them. She watched him walk over to the table of food with a fond look in her eyes.
"I'm surprised he didn't make you go with him," Kim said from beside her. Meadow glanced at her in thoughtfulness. She waited for her to elaborate; then, she realized Kim wasn't familiar with the way she conversed with others.
"Why do you say that?" Meadow asked.
"He doesn't stop talking about you," Kim said. "He gets on Jared's nerves because of it, but I think it's really sweet."
Meadow hummed and glanced at Paul again. She thought it was sweet, too. Paul never really seemed like the type of person to brag about anyone except himself. Of course, that's just based on first appearances. She knew he could be soft when he needed to be and rough when he needed to be, too. Sometimes he was a little rough in certain situations he didn't have to; for example, he glared at a man once when they went on a date to the bowling alley. Paul thought the guy was flirting with her, but honestly, he was just asking if she wanted cheese with her fries. Paul had gotten an earful after that.
"Jared's the same way with you," Meadow told Kim. Kim blushed and a smile slowly grew on her face. Meadow didn't know if it was the imprinting or if love was just like that, but she noticed that every wolf had a soft spot for their imprint. It was adorable to see the big, bad wolves reduced to puppies when their imprints reprimanded them.
Paul came back with two plates in his hands. Meadow raised an eyebrow and he gave her a sly smile. He handed her one of the plates and kept the other. Her eyes grew in size and she reached to grab something before she narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously.
"What?" he asked innocently. "I know how much you like sweets, so I thought I'd get you a couple."
A couple was an understatement. The entire plate was filled with cookies and brownies. If she wasn't a wolf, she'd get a stomach ache just by eating half of it. It was a nice gesture, but he had ulterior motive. She was sure of it. Shrugging, she ate the contents of the plate happily and rid her fingers of melted chocolate afterwards.
"All finished?" he asked her. He had finished his plate, too and was patiently waiting for her to get done. She nodded her head and stood to throw her plate away. Paul stood with her. As soon as the plate left her hands, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Meadow let out a noise in protest and banged her fists against his back when he wouldn't put her down. He laughed and ignored her shouting. He walked in the water and threw her in. She screamed, causing salty water to rush into her mouth. She surfaced and sputtered while Paul laughed at her.
She glared at him and accepted his challenge. She latched into him and dragged him in with her. She jumped and pushed his head underwater. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her under again. They fought in the water playfully for awhile before they were called out to listen to the legends.
"This isn't over," Meadow said. Paul smirked and threw an arm around her shoulders.
"Whatever you say, flower."
I'm already working on the next Twilight story ? It's a Volturi story since I already did a Cullen and a werewolf story. I don't have a main love interest yet, so if there's someone you really want to see, let me know!
Don't forget to the chapter and comment what you think.
Stay Awesome ^u^
