A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.

Chapter 8- Port Angeles and the shopping trip that went all wrong

Bella's POV-

"Are you sure about this, Bells?" Jake sighed on the line, taking a rather long pregnant pause. "I mean, Quil can come with you? I am fairly confident that he will not say no, if I ask him to. You know how he is; he will take this to be another opportunity at flirting with the older girls." He laughed, a loud booming laugh, making a small smile cross my face at the sound of his laughter. It was a good change. Ever since Jake had taken over the alpha mantle from Sam, he had been rather aloof and serious- this was a good change from that.

Though, there was a truth in Jake's words- I could not deny that. Quil's pickup jokes- no, not pickup lines, but ridiculously humorless jokes- were pretty infamous with the girls from both La Push and Forks, older or younger did not matter. He tried flirting with them, tried being the keyword here.

"Jeez, Jake," I shook my head, my eyes wide in disbelief and slight amusement. "Have some faith in me. I can take care of myself, you know, and no matter how much I find Jessica annoying, I am not sticking Quil on her. That would be a horribly mean thing to do."

He laughed louder, completely agreeing with me on that- Quil was a little out of control when it came to his teenage hormones- flirting with everything that resembled a woman. He would surely grow up with time, but that did not mean that we could not make fun of him for now. "But, Bella," he sighed, a serious tinge now entering his tone. "I trust you. We trust you. Don't ever think we don't. It is those leeches that we don't trust. Port Angeles is neutral territory, what if they try something, huh? None of us will be there to protect you, nor will we even realize that you are in danger, at least not till it is far too late."

I rolled my eyes at that. I sometimes wondered if Jake suffered from partial memory loss. He knew well that I was no damsel in distress. I could protect myself, especially from the kind of a vampire's.

"Jake, I cannot stress on this anymore. I will be fine. I can look after myself, and anyway, I doubt the Cullen's are that stupid to try anything while I am out in public. They cannot risk exposure anymore than we can."

He sighed, taking another pause. "It is just that…you know how Billy gets. He just doesn't want anything to happen to you, and especially not at their hands. Losing Charlie….it broke him. Keeping you safe and away from them is his biggest priority now."

I shut my eyes tightly, sighing audibly. Charlie and Billy had been almost like brothers, having grown up together. Charlie had been the brother Billy never had, with Renee being his younger sister he truly adored. Losing them had been tough on Billy, and I had been there to witness his broken look when he had seen their bodies- their life drained out of them. He had never truly recovered, not anymore than I could; making it so that my protection became his number one priority. He always worried when I was out killing the 'bloodsuckers', going as far as demanding from Jake to keep me protected at all times. I understood the man's worry, and even respected him for it, but I could look after myself, and keeping me safe was no excuse to stop me from living my life my way.

"Jake," I spoke into the phone. "Tell Billy, I will be alright. I will be home before it is too late, and I will stick to populated places. Now, look," I paused. "Jessica is on her way. I will talk to you later."

He sighed, but gave me his agreement. "Fine, but if you don't pick up your phone, I will send a search party out for you."

I rolled my eyes. That was the last thing I needed- my overprotective brothers surrounding me and keeping the masses away from me, ruining the little bit of reputation I still held in this school.

"Please don't." I pleaded. "I will never have a remotely normal life in this town, if you do."

He chuckled loudly, telling me that he will message me later, and I have to reply back- as soon as possible, or the threat was clear for me to remember.

I sighed internally. I loved Jake, but he could be rather annoying and frustrating for a younger sibling.

"Hey Bella," Jessica chirped, coming to a stop in front of me in the crowded high school parking lot, a finger running through her curly hair. "Are you excited for a girl's day out?"

I shut my eyes tightly- in embarrassment or disbelief, I am not sure.

"Please don't call it that." I almost begged, once again cursing my luck for landing me in this unwanted situation. Why couldn't Angela just be free for a shopping trip with Jessica? I could have easily backed out of going with them, sprouting some excuse of being needed on the reservation.

Now, while I could have still done that, it would have been rather mean to lie when there was no one else willing to go with Jessica. It was a big day for her- she was really excited for her date, and raining on her parade just felt super mean, even for me.

Jessica shrugged, starting to walk towards her car. I would be following her till her house, after which she would leave her car behind, joining me in my truck as I drove to Port Angeles.

She suddenly stopped mid way, turning to look at something. I followed her gaze in confusion, noticing how it had stopped on the Cullen's- all seven of them- the two new ones included- as they stood by their cars, waiting for God only knew what. School was over for the day, why were they still here?

"It is not fair, you know." Jessica grumbled, grabbing my attention. "Why do they get to be so perfect? I mean, look at those girls- Charlotte as attractive as the other two, if not anymore. How we are even supposed to match up to that is unimaginable. Mike would never admit it out loud, but I know that if Rosalie Hale or Alice Cullen gave him the time of the day- ever in his wildest dreams- he would leave me in a blink….just like that forgotten."

I looked at her, the insecurity in her voice clear to read.

I frowned. Jessica was definitely not an unattractive person from any angle, and physical looks apart, she was a good person- friendly and helpful. She did not deserve to feel insecure in her own skin. That was plain wrong. She was beautiful the way she was, and a part of me felt bad that she could not see her own self worth. It was a pity, especially the fact that she felt any lesser than those who were meant to be attractive to lure their prey in. Their added beauty was a part of their deal. It did not make any other human inferior to them. On the contrary, humans had something they didn't- a real, beating heart and the ability to grow old and experience the various pleasures of life. They were stuck the way they were, never living the human experiences that age provides us with.

"Jess," I sighed, turning to look at her, slight pity evident in my eyes. "If Mike likes you for what you are, it won't matter whether hypothetical Rosalie Hale asked him out on a date or not, and if he doesn't really care about you enough, then no matter who- the house made of glass will break one fine day."

She nodded her head, looking at the floor in fear and worry. "I am just scared. I really like him. I don't want to lose him, you know."

I hummed at that. "Jess, give him a fair chance. Don't speculate from now that he will have wandering eyes. He may turn out to be the loyal kind, really loving you for what you are. Just go on this date with an open mind, and see what happens ahead."

She gave me a small smile, nodding her head in response. "Thanks. Anyway," she grinned. "What about you and the new guy? I saw you talking to him in class….any sparks there?"

"Ew…yuck…" I made a face of sheer disgust at her words, the idea of being with that new guy- vampire- unfathomable and truly disgusting. "Yuck…Jess…that is…."

I had no words to correctly describe what was going on in my head.

He was a vampire.

The thought of being with a vampire was simply unthinkable.

"What," she questioned, truly curious. "He can't be that bad. He looks good. Oh, does he have a BO problem, or is he the creepy kind? Did he go too far too soon?"

I rolled my eyes at her words. Jasper and BO just could not go in the same sentence. He smelt really good- all musky and masculine, almost making my hormones jump around in excitement and giddiness.

Wait.

What the fuck am I even thinking?

He is a vampire.

He is my enemy.

I can't find him attractive.

I don't find him attractive.

Yes, Bella, keep telling yourself that.

So what if he had the looks of a sex God reincarnated? So what if his eyes were soulful and deep, entrancing me completely in them? So what if my hormones demanded to know what his lips felt like?

Nope. Not happening.

He was my enemy, and it was going to stay like that.

Though I had to admit, none of the other 'Cullens' did a damn thing for me. It was just this one…or maybe it was intrigue, wrapped around in the shiny box of lust and fascination.

Yup, it had to be that.

"Bella," Jessica raised an eyebrow at me, waiting for me to continue.

I sighed audibly. "No. None of this, it is just that….there are no sparks, whatsoever."

I was saying the truth. I know that it was the truth.

Why did it feel like a lie then?

She frowned, nodding her head. "That is a pity. He is single, from what I hear."

"Oh," I questioned her, slightly interested in knowing more about them.

She nodded her head, grinning at me widely. "Yea, interested?"

I shrugged at her. "Nope,"

She giggled, letting the topic go. "Anyway, what were the two of you talking about that caused you to have such a negative impression of him?"

I shrugged, thinking back to her words. He- Jasper- had infuriated me to another extent- it was unbelievable the way he had demanded to know, or rather predicted, my reasons for hating his kind.

The fact that he believed himself to be entitled enough to know something so personal about my life was rather intrusive.

He was just another vampire- and it simply did not matter what he believed to be true.

I hated his kind, and my hatred was not that easy to go.

"Nothing," I shrugged at Jessica. "He was asking me about our study material. He had some doubt."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Why not ask his cousins then?"

I shrugged at her, in perfect nonchalance. "How would I know? Go and ask him that."

She rolled her eyes, knowing that talking to one of the Cullen's was not something anyone in this school really did. People gave them a wide enough berth, choosing to stay as far away as possible from them- the instinct to stay safe be applauded. In fact, no one even partnered with them on assignments. They always formed their own group, no matter the subject or assignment.

It was just how it was.

No other words were exchanged between us as she again started to walk towards her car, with me following behind. I looked at the Cullen clan one last time, noticing that Jasper's eyes were on me- curiosity and amusement clear in them- a glare being my response- before I too ignored them and walked towards my truck, sitting in and starting to drive.

The drive to Port Angeles went by smoothly after our brief halt at the Stanley's, with Jessica sharing with me all the latest Forks High gossip. Angela was crushing hard on Ben. Ben was crushing hard on Angela, and both were in the dark of this fact. Lauren was with Tyler, but she was also not with Tyler, as she found Austin Marks equally good looking, and did not really want to block her chance with him. Eric was still in the confused category about who he really liked, and Samantha had a crush on Eric but was not ready to do a damn thing about it.

Phew! Did I get it all right?

Why were high schoolers so fucking dramatic and surviving on melodrama?

It was ridiculously juvenile, really.

Anyway, Jessica had then started to question me about the native boys- if I found anyone attractive or drool-worthy, but I had quickly cut that topic down. Most of them- the pack, basically- were like brothers and sister- in Leah's case- to me, and the others- I hardly spoke to them enough to know anything about them. Apart from some of our age's name, I would not know a thing about them, and that was also because I often hung out with the others at First Beach, giving me that window of opportunity. Otherwise I had no interaction with anyone outside the pack, which was a pity, when thought about it.

I was not an imprint. So many had phased, none imprinting on me, and a thirteen year old yet to phase imprinting on me was truly creepy- so let's not even go there, for the sake of my own sanity.

Anyway, while I was glad that I was not an imprint; like I said, they were all like brothers to me, it was also the sad realization that there was no instant, forever love in my future. I was supposed to find someone the human way, and while that could be considered a blessing- I had witnessed the Leah- Sam- Emily debacle- never to forget it again, it was slightly disheartening that I would still have to wait a long way to find Mr. Right, passing through several Mr. Wrongs and Mr. Right now before I found the one for me.

Also, there was the question that where I was even supposed to find this Mr. Right?

I did not interact much with anyone from La Push, and the boys of my age in Forks High felt rather immature to me.

They just could not understand me or my maturity stemming from experiences, putting too much difference between us.

Of course there was the fact that I could not go around telling people about my extra ability, and starting a relationship with someone on the basis of a lie was not something I wanted to do.

So probably, I was meant to be single forever.

It was a good thing- in a way. I wouldn't be breaking any hearts when I left with Jake to find the vampire responsible for my parent's death. I had no idea of when I would return- if I would even return alive, and so with no guarantee of ever returning, I could not keep someone waiting back for me.

I was not that cruel.

My priority at the moment was finding my parent's killer, and it had to stay that way.

Love was not as important.

Nothing was.

"Earth to Bella," Jessica grinned, bringing me back to the present. I frowned to myself. Luckily I had not swirled off the road under the influence of my daydream. That would have been catastrophic. I was not invincible, you know, not to forget Jessica was also in the car with me.

I shook my head at her, waiting for her to speak.

She ran a finger through her hair, raising an eyebrow at me, a smirk on her face. "Whose daydreams were you lost in? Do tell?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Nobody's- my life is rather boring, you know?"

She grinned wider, rubbing her hands in glee. "Oh. Do you need to be set up? I love playing the matchmaker. I know the perfect guy for you…"

"No, thank you." I gave her an amusement filled look, interrupting her mid- sentence. "I am good the way I am."

She shrugged at me. "If you change your mind, you know where to come."

I shook my head in disbelief. She would truly be the last person I would go to if I needed advice on my love life, not that I had any but argument sake. She had weird notions when it came to relationships, also her type was Mike and he was really not my type, to be honest.

"But," she started to speak. "What kind of boy are you even looking for? I can't believe we have never really spoken about your type. It is a shame; I have known you for years now."

"Yup," I left it at that, knowing that that slight error on my part had been by choice. I was very selective about who to tell what- especially when it came to school.

"So," she questioned, waiting for me to answer.

I sighed. "Can't we let this go?"

She grinned at me. "Nope; you know everything about me. It is only fair."

I wanted to point out that I had never voluntarily asked her for information. She had freely given it to me and so the question of fair- unfair was a moot point, but I stopped myself from blurting that out.

I was being rather nice today!

I sighed loudly, thinking about her question.

What was my type?

"He should be a good person, firstly," I started to speak. She hummed in response, waiting for me to continue. "He should be respectful and kind, not very egoistic or anger driven. He should love me for what I am, believing that staying loyal is extremely important in a relationship."

She nodded her head in agreement. "What about physically, how should he look?"

I paused, thinking about it for a few minutes, an image entering my mind in full clarity- blonde hair and golden eyes, a lean body and tall frame, a smile that can bright anyone's day and a maturity and honesty in the eyes that is not found in many…..

I pushed the thought instantly aside.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

Why was I behaving like this?

He was a vampire!

I had gone insane, it seemed.

"So," Jessica raised an eyebrow in question.

"I don't know." I said defensively. "I don't want to talk about this."

She rolled her eyes, muttering a 'fine'.

We drove the rest of the distance in welcomed silence, a relief after this unwanted discussion.

"That way," pointed Jessica as soon as we entered Port Angeles, guiding me towards the shops she wanted to visit. I complied, following her given directions, parking the truck once we had reached our destination.

The next hour passed by with Jessica trying out dresses, twirling them around for me, asking me excitedly of which dress suited her more- my answer being the same- all do. Luckily my disinterest in shopping did not hamper her excitement and she continued to try dress after dress, waiting to find the perfect one.

Finally, when we were done with finding a dress for her- a short black dress- she insisted on buying heels to wear with it.

That was where I took my leave, not ready to spend any more time looking at clothes and shoes than I already had. I hated shopping, not willing to waste any more time than necessary on it.

"Where will you go but?" Jessica questioned, curious.

I shrugged. "There are a few bookstores around. I will meet you in an hour. We can drive back after that."

She nodded her head in agreement. "I will call you when I am done."

I gave her a small nod, walking out of the boutique we had been in, walking the other way.

My phone chirped with a new message all of a sudden, making me roll my eyes.

I already knew who this was.

I did not even need to see my phone for it.

Jake, of course….

'Are you alright?'

I shook my head, smiling. 'Yup,'

The next message was quick to come. 'Stay safe!'

I kept my phone back in my pant pocket, smiling widely, also knowing that another message would pop on my screen in another hour or so. Jake being caring, but a stubborn fool indeed….

I decided to heed to his 'advice', sticking to the populated areas instead of roaming around aimlessly in search of the lesser known bookstores.

A decent bookstore was not very difficult to find and I spent the next hour searching through shelves for any book I liked or could see myself reading in the future.

I had just bought the two books I had chosen when my phone chirped with another message- this one from Jessica.

'Took the bus; Mike had some urgent work- could not wait.'

I sighed, partly rolling my eyes. Thankfully I had traveled till here in my truck, at least I had a way to reach back home.

It would have sucked to have had to call Sam or Jake to come and pick me up, had we come here in Jessica's car.

I paid the small amount, leaving the bookstore and heading towards my truck. It wasn't very late, the sun had set though, and a lot of people were yet on the streets- some waiting outside their preferred restaurants while they talked and laughed, some just wandering the streets as they made their way to their destination.

I sat in my truck, keeping my books in the seat beside, starting to drive the way back- remembering to message Jake that I had left from here. It was no use of causing him to worry.

I had hardly gone ten minutes or so, passing a crowded street behind, humming to myself when a loud screech and an even louder thump resounded in the air, stopping me in the tracks, my eyes wide in shock and horror.

That is when I realized that my truck had stopped working- coming to a standstill all of a sudden.

I tried to start it again- nope, not happening.

I tried again- and again- to no avail, my truck refusing to budge even an inch.

Shit. What was I supposed to do now?