If there was a rule book for being a werewolf, Leah was pretty sure that phasing during the middle of a patrol to eat your lunch as a human would be against the rules. But since there wasn't a book, and no one had ever explicitly told her not to, Leah was standing naked, in the middle of the forest, scarfing down the three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches she had made herself for lunch as quickly as she could.
The cold November air whipped around her, but Leah felt fine. The much more annoying part was the rain, which was dropping on her hair and – more annoyingly – her lunch. That was part of the reason she ate as quickly as she could. The other reason was, even though no one had ever told her she couldn't take a lunch break while patrolling, it felt wrong.
Leah had started it a few weeks ago, during one of her daytime patrol shifts. The shifts were too long not to eat at all, and while everyone else just killed a rabbit or even a deer and ate it raw, Leah hated that. It was so disgusting, so dehumanizing. And since she was the only one on patrol during the day, she'd decided to break the rules and start packing human food.
She packed her lunch the night before, after Sue and Seth had gone to bed, and left it in the woods with her clothes. So far, no one had questioned anything, and it seemed to work well.
When she finished eating, she shoved her old lunch box back into the shrubbery where she always kept it. Leah would pick it up tonight when she was off patrol. She didn't have a watch on her, but she was confident that it took less than five minutes to devour her lunch, and the packs left the reservation unpatrolled for more than five minutes at a time all the time.
Leah phased back to a wolf, and, as she expected, the pack mind was empty. Running among the trees, Leah kept her eyes and ears peeled for anything out of the ordinary, but, for the most part, it was all expected stuff. The most exciting thing that had ever happened was when she saw an injured hiker and got to temporarily phase back to human so she could call for help (ever since their many slipups in the spring, the Elders had been very strict on them trying to stay out of the way of any humans who might be wandering in the forest, unless it was an emergency). Other than that, it was just trees and the occasional deer. One time Quil claimed he saw a jaguar, but nobody really believed him.
As she ran, Leah considered everything she had to do. The holidays were fast approaching, and she had to figure out gifts for Sue and Seth. Sue had not gotten off her case about registering for classes for next semester, and Amy had asked if Leah could take her shift this weekend at the Resort, which Leah had agreed to do, not realizing she was supposed to patrol with Jacob. So she had to get someone to cover her patrol shift, which shouldn't be difficult but was just a matter of figuring out the right minion to ask. Not to mention that Leah still hadn't talked to Emily since the dress shopping disaster and she knew she'd have to face it eventually. What was the best way to say Sorry I stormed out of your bridesmaid dress shopping event, but I realized that I'm actually okay with you marrying my ex because he isn't actually the guy I was in love because it turns out that guy doesn't exist anymore and your fiance is just a giant douchebag and not the sweet funny guy I once loved? It didn't flow off the tongue like Leah wanted it to…
Suddenly, Leah caught a whiff of something sickly sweet. A bloodsucker, she realized immediately. Her mind instantly started spinning.
There wouldn't be a Cullen on this side of the line, and Leah could smell them so clearly that there wasn't a doubt in her mind: the bloodsucker was on this side of the treaty line. Plus it wasn't a scent that she recognized. It was fresh, Leah realized as she glanced around. She'd definitely passed that boulder earlier in the day, before lunch and she hadn't caught anything then. No, this was far too powerful to be anything but brand new.
After all those days of complaining, all the times she whined about why did they have to do daily patrols now that there wasn't any immediate danger, La Push had gone for so long without werewolves patrolling, the answer was right in her face, filling her nostrils. The danger would always be there.
Leah's howl pierced the air. For the first time, she saw the downside of two packs; if any of the guys from Sam's pack phased, she wouldn't be able to communicate with them. And the guys in Sam's pack were more likely to be able to drop whatever it was they were doing and phase than her fellow pack mates.
She howled again, silently begging Jake or one of his minions to phase. Not Seth, of course, but Quil or Embry would be perfectly acceptable at this point. She didn't want a repeat of the newborn mess.
In the distance, she heard the familiar rustle in the air. Someone was phasing.
Jacob? Embry? She asked though she knew it was fruitless. She would have felt their presence in the bond, and Leah knew it was only her right now. Someone from Sam's pack, then. Maybe Jared? The Cameron's house was close to the woods, if he was home he'd almost certainly have heard her.
Leah?! Jacob's voice pierced through the pack mind, though she immediately felt Embry and Quil's presence, too, What's going on?!
Vampire scent. Fresh.
Fuck.
All minds were reeling now. There was a panic in everyone's mind as they focused on running towards Leah, as she focused on her location in the woods and the scent she had.
We're coming!
Guys? What's going on? Seth this time – fear evident in his thoughts.
Vampire on the loose, Embry explained emotionlessly.
Seth, stay away, Leah begged, though she knew it was useless. He had started running, too, but between the other wolves' head start and their longer legs, he wouldn't be able to keep up. Maybe she would be able to catch the vampire by then and keep Seth out of danger.
Don't worry about me, Leah, Seth protested.
Everyone quiet! Jacob commanded, I need to try to reach Sam. Has he phased?
I heard someone phase earlier when I first howled, but it might have been Paul or Jared. Leah paced back and forth. Her instincts told her to run, to try to reach the vamp, to tear the damn thing apart. But she had enough sense left in her to wait. She wasn't trying to die today, and a battle without anyone else to help her could be a suicide mission.
It was faint, but she could hear movement in the forest. Someone – or something – was coming. Before she could start panicking or even get into a defensive stance, Paul and Jared appeared out the woods. Relief washed through Leah at the sight of her former pack brothers.
Without the bond, it was difficult, but all three of them knew what to do now that they weren't alone: follow the scent. Leah took off, relishing in her position as the fastest, with Paul and Jared chasing behind her.
Leah could feel how hard Jake was concentrating, trying to reach out to Sam. Suddenly, like a bubble bursting, she could feel Sam's unwelcome presence in her mind again.
Jacob? What's going on? Jared and Paul are chasing a vampire with Leah?
I know about as much as you do. Jacob told Sam.
Leah was running fast enough and focusing hard enough that ignoring Sam and Jacob's conversation wasn't difficult, nor was blocking out the rest of the pack. Despite their presence, it was like she was alone, though it wasn't as scary as actually being alone. It was a comfort that she could actually hear herself think, but also know that if things went seriously south, they would still be able to reach her.
She'd lost Jared and Paul by now, though she had no doubt they were still following. The trail was even fresher; Leah knew she was close to the bloodsucker.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of blonde hair. Leah skidded to a stop and looked up at an unnaturally blonde leech perched up in the tops of a tree. An unintended howl left her lips; though she knew it didn't matter anymore if she was quiet or not. The leech knew where Leah was.
There were no words for this. Adrenaline flowed through Leah's veins as she got ready to jump. In the back of her mind, she could hear Jake and the boys barking and yelling in their thoughts. They were coming, she knew, but she focused on ignoring them and what was in front of her.
The leech jumped down from the tree and Leah lunged, but missed, causing Leah to stumble forward. As Leah regained her balance, the leech took off running again. Leah continued her chase, closer now than ever before. She'd catch the unnatural little bitch in no time.
Don't let it get its arms around you, Jake warned, his voice interrupting her concentration for a second. Everyone else was silent – or maybe Leah had just tuned them out – and Leah could focus, really focus, on the blonde blob that she was following. Leah's feet led the way, as the leech made it closer and closer to the settled part of the reservation.
Without warning, the leech stopped and changed direction, making such a sharp turn that Leah almost toppled over as she turned to follow the leech. But the turn gave Leah an opportunity, and she lunged again. This time, Leah's teeth met the stone-cold body of the leech, and with a sharp pull, the arm popped right off. Unfortunately, the leech didn't hesitate and just kept running.
Not far away, someone let an angry howl, and Leah had no doubt that the entire pack knew that she'd gotten a piece of the leech. Their encounter and the leech's sudden change in direction had allowed Jared and Paul time to catch up, and she could see them now, Jared running slightly ahead, with Paul not far behind.
Leah rushed ahead, invigorated now. The sharp turn the leech made had taken them away from the reservation, away from the helpless humans, and closer to the treaty line, but she was confident that, with Jared and Paul here now, they could take down the leech. The last thing Leah wanted was to lose her and set off some wild goose chase like there'd been for the evil redhead leech when she had first phased.
The bloodsucker slowed down slightly, and glanced behind her, before looking over the river that marked the treaty line. It almost seemed to sense that they were near the treaty line. For a fleeting second, Leah wondered if they were possible a friend of the Cullens. Leah hadn't gotten a good look at its eyes, so it was impossible to know.
Even if they're a friend of the Cullens, they've crossed the line. The treaty is void now, Embry seethed.
Have you seen them before, Seth? Jacob asked. Leah continued her pursuit, with Paul and Jared not far behind. She had almost reached the thing; she could almost lunge again.
No, Seth confirmed nervously, although Leah could see that he was trying to think of the vampire friends of the Cullens that had recently come for a visit. They'd left already, though, gone back to Alaska or wherever it was they were from.
Get her, Leah! Quil cheered.
We're almost there, Jacob assured her.
The bitch was fast, faster than Leah even. She still had the bloodsucker's arm in her mouth, she was too afraid that the leech would be put back together if she kept it anywhere but safely in her grasp.
Drop the arm, Leah, I'll pick it up. Seth volunteered. He was quite a bit behind Quil, Embry, and Jacob, his late start and shorter legs hindering him.
The arm fell from Leah's mouth – the vampire stuff never got less weird – and continued sprinting with all her might. Paul had fallen behind, but Jared was only seconds behind. With a final push, Leah reached out and managed to grasp a strand of her blonde hair. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to slow her down just a touch and startle her into changing directions – forcing her to u-turn straight into Jared's path.
Jared dived and went for the leech's legs, tripping her. She stumbled forward, allowing Leah time to jump and soar over the leech, landing right beside her. Leah took the leech's throat in her nuzzle, as Jared grabbed the legs. They didn't need to be in each other's head to know what to do. They both pulled, and the leech's body came apart into a thousand tiny stone pieces.
Nice one, Leah! Seth crowed.
Good job, Leah, Embry echoed, That was impressive!
Yeah, Leah, that was badass! Quil agreed.
Thanks, guys.
You made that look easy, Leah, Jake complimented her, Good job. Sam had Brady stop by and grab a lighter. We'll be there soon.
Paul, Jared, and Leah got to work picking up the tiny little leech pieces. It was only moments later that Sam arrived, and he immediately started gathering wood for a fire. Jacob, Quil, and Embry weren't far behind, helping with gathering the tiny pieces of the leech.
Already, the parasite was attempting to put herself back together. Tiny little pieces of bloodsucker flew through the forest, all gravitating towards each other, like the sickening, unnatural thing she was. Between catching the fluttering pieces and the awful scent that made them impossible to miss, the task wasn't hard, just tedious.
Is Brady almost here? Leah asked. She heard Jacob repeat the question to Sam.
He's coming with Colin, Jacob confirmed, You got the arm, Seth?
Right here! Seth was trotting up, the entirety of the leech's arm in his mouth. He placed it in the center of what was quickly becoming what would be a sizable fire.
They all worked together to put the pieces of the bloodsucker into the fire pit, and as soon as Brady arrived, carrying in his mouth a shopping bag with a lighter in it, Sam phased without warning and ignited the fire. Despite the rain, the venom made it ignite quickly, and within seconds, the fire was roaring in seconds, hot and popping.
Do you guys smell that? Embry asked.
More leeches! Quil answered immediately.
Leah sniffed the air; she too could smell the sickly sweet scent of leeches. This time, however, it was familiar.
It's one of the Cullens, she growled, Maybe even two of them.
Awfully close to the treaty line, aren't they? Embry mused.
It's just Carlisle and Edward, Seth said quickly, They won't cross the line without permission.
Look away, Leah. I'm phasing. There was a gush of air as Jacob returned to his human form.
Leah pointedly looked up, keeping her eyes trained on the other side of the river, where, sure enough, Dr. Fang and the mind reader came hurrying over the over. On top of a boulder, they stood in easy listening distance of the two packs. Edward had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, while Dr. Fang had a tense smile on his.
The two Alphas stood together, aligned for the first time. The two tallest members of the pack, the two largest wolves. Although their backs were turned to Leah, she had to admit that it was an intimidating sight.
"Stop," Sam commanded, even though they had already come to a halt.
"We'll stay on this side of the line," Dr. Fang assured everyone.
Nonetheless, Leah heard someone in the other pack – Paul most likely – whine in protest, "Did something happen?"
What a stupid question, Leah thought. The fire was still burning and there was no doubt in Leah's mind that they too could smell the remnants of the parasite that was burning.
"We caught and destroyed a trespasser."
"Irina," Edward said, "I can see it in Leah's mind."
Get out of my head! Leah snarled, both in her head and out loud. Quil let out a similar snarl, equally angry at the intrusion.
"She crossed the treaty line," Jacob said coldly.
"Of course," Carlisle said solemnly, "I understand protecting your people must come first and foremost."
"This won't cause any problems, will it?" Sam asked, "Or should we expect retribution from a mate?"
Edward shook his head, "No. Irina was looking for revenge after you killed her mate, Laurent, last spring. Her sisters knew that this was a possibility. They'll be upset, but they won't seek revenge. They've met Seth and like him, not to mention that they won't want to upset Nessie."
"We'll deal with them," Carlisle promised, "We assure you there won't be any further intrusions."
"Good. Is that all then?" Jacob's voice had no warmth in it; he made it clear that the Cullens were unwelcome.
"No, we heard the noise and just wanted to see what was happening," Dr. Fang spoke with confidence, "We'll return to our home now."
Edward seemed to survey the two packs before he turned to leave, no doubt soaking up all the information from their thoughts that he could, the nasty creature that he was. How anyone could stand him always in their minds, Leah wasn't sure.
The fire continued to burn, with both Jacob and Sam minding it and feeding it as necessary. Despite the rain, the fire burned well from all the venom. As the fire began to die, both Jake and Sam took turns looking for any surviving pieces, while Jared and Leah both did the same around the fire. Brady and Quil had circled back to where Leah had dropped the arm to do the same, but all were satisfied that the leech was gone once and for all.
Sam turned to face the two packs, "Perhaps we should debrief? We can meet at Emily's after we pick up our clothes."
"The Clearwaters'," Jacob said before Leah could complain, "We can meet at the Clearwaters'."
Sam looked from Jacob to Leah suspiciously, before agreeing, "Okay. We'll meet at the Clearwaters'."
"Good," Jacob's voice matched the finality that Sam's had had moments before. Leah felt a gush of air as he phased back into a wolf.
I thought you'd rather go to your house, Leah. Jacob said as soon he was back in the bond.
It wasn't like Leah hadn't been over to Emily's (she still wasn't sure why they all called it Emily's when it was clear that Sam lived there too – not that that was the point) since she'd phased. She'd been over there several times, all since phasing. But it was nice to think that she wouldn't have to face Emily fretting over Sam putting himself in danger again, not that he'd come close to any danger this time around. He had managed to avoid all the action.
There's more room, Jacob continued, when Leah didn't respond. All five of them had begun to trot back to where they had left their clothes; Leah by her illicit lunch spot and the boys by the school.
Yeah, but Emily's always has food, Quil pointed out.
There's way more room at the Clearwater's place, though, Embry agreed.
Plus it's easier for me and Leah! Seth chimed in happily.
You don't have to avoid going to Emily's just for me, Leah thought finally. She would have to face Emily eventually, though it would be easier to do it when there weren't nine other people around.
It's not just for you, it's for all of us. There's more room at the Clearwaters' place and we all live closer to it. Jacob was lying; that much was clear. His excuses were lame, but it was almost touching to see him looking out for her like that.
You warm my ice-cold heart, Leah muttered. She had reached the area of the woods where she had left her clothes, I'll see you guys at the house.
She phased back to human and slipped on her clothes. The lunch box she'd pack stayed under the bush as she hurried back to her house. No need to let everyone know that she'd been eating lunch as a human. There would be enough attention on her today.
No one else had made it to the Clearwater house when she arrived. Using the key she kept stuffed in her pocket, she unlocked the door and let herself in, hearing the racket of nine other wolves not far behind her.
The Clearwater's house was modest, for sure, but it was one of the bigger ones of the reservation. They had a whole four bedrooms – one of them was a tiny guest bedroom, granted, but it was still an extra bedroom that most families didn't have – and their kitchen and living room could comfortably fit a fairly large party. But with 10 large werewolves in it, the house still felt small, especially when they were all stuffed into the living room.
There was one large couch and one love seat in the Clearwater living room and Leah took her seat at the corner of the large couch as she watched all of the wolves trail in. Sam awkwardly looked around before taking the same place on the loveseat that he'd always sat in, in the times before everything wolf had happened. Jared immediately sat next to him, taking what was once Leah's seat. Their stance was nowhere near as intimate as Leah and Sam's had always been, of course.
Somehow, almost the entirety of Jake's pack forced their way on to the larger couch, Leah next to Jake, Jake next to Quil, Quil next to Embry, and Seth sitting on the arm of the couch in a way that Leah knew Sue would yell at him for if she happened to walk in. Leah could feel Jacob's legs pressed next to her, the heat of his body burning next to hers.
Paul sat in the armchair, and Brady and Colin let out identical groans as they walked in later than everyone else and realized they'd be sitting on the floor.
"So…" Jacob began after Brady and Colin had sat down on the floor by Sam and Jared. He gestured vaguely, before putting his hands purposefully in his lap.
"We should debrief," Sam repeated.
Was a debrief really necessary? Was any of this shit really necessary? Leah shook her head and tried not to show her annoyance.
"What happened, Leah?" Sam asked when nobody else said anything.
"What happened is I was on my patrol and I smelled a fresh vampire trail, so I howled and everyone came running and Jared, Paul and I all chased the stupid little bloodsucker until we destroyed it. Right, guys?"
Paul and Jared both nodded, though neither made eye contact with her.
"That's all. That's what happened." Leah finished with a sly smile. She knew Sam wanted gory details, but he could relive those in Jared and Paul's heads if he so desired.
"Did she say anything?" Sam pressed, "Give any type of details for what she wanted?"
"No," Leah said simply.
"I don't think this is like Victoria, Sam. Victoria was clearly after Bella and didn't mind playing sick games to get her." Jacob's voice was tense as he spoke, "This is the first time we saw this bloodsucker on our land, and I trust the Cullens when they say there won't be any problems. We did kill that male leech earlier this year."
"Do we trust the Cullens, though?" Paul asked.
"I do," Seth spoke up, but his voice was quiet, "I trust them. They didn't lie to us during the newborn battle. We've worked with them before."
"Seth's right," Jared said, "We don't really have any reason not to trust them."
"Sue's here," Paul muttered. They could all hear the car approaching the house, and shortly after, the car door slamming. Seth slid off the arm of the couch and sat on the floor at Embry's feet.
"What in the world is going on here?" Sue demanded the second she opened the door. Her eyes scanned the packs, narrowing when she saw Sam. "Why is everyone here?" she asked urgently, more worry evident in her tone now, "Did something happen?"
"There was a vampire that crossed the treaty line," Sam answered, "We destroyed it."
"It was all Leah," Jared remarked, "She tracked the leech, she tore the damn arm of the thing, she tricked it so we could corner it."
If Leah wasn't mistaken, there was a hint of a proud smile on Sue's face, "And the Cullens know about this?"
"It was apparently a friend of theirs," Sam answered in his deep voice again, "But we've worked it out with them. There shouldn't be anything else."
"Have you told Billy and Old Quil about this?" Sue asked.
Sam shook his head, "Not yet. We were just having a quick debrief before we let you and the other Elders know."
"We were just finishing up when you came in. Is there anything else we need to, ahem, debrief on, Sam?" Jacob had a sly smirk on his face.
"The patrol schedule - "
"We can discuss that at the next meeting with the Elders. It doesn't need to change for now." Leah was surprised at how much Jacob sounded like the Alpha at that moment. There was no doubt as to who was really in charge. "Is there anything else you wanted to discuss, Sam? If not, then you can go talk to Old Quil and I'll go talk to my dad and let them know what happened."
It was plainly obvious to everyone, not just Leah, that Sam had more he wanted to discuss, but the sharpness in Jacob's tone forced him to reconsider, "Yeah, I'll go do that. Jared, you want to come with?"
"Sure." Jared stood up, and Sam quickly followed him to the door.
"Thanks for letting us use your house, Mrs. Clearwater," Sam smiled at Sue as he left. What a kiss ass, Leah thought to herself.
"I gotta get back to work," Paul muttered, standing up to follow Jared and Sam to the door, "Thanks for having us, Clearwaters."
Brady and Colin made their excuses as well and followed the rest of their pack out the Clearwater's door. This left just Jacob's pack, who took advantage of the space left by Sam's pack and spread out. Jacob stayed on the couch, next to Leah, but his legs were no longer pressed against hers. It was impossible not to notice the absence of his warm body next to her.
"Well," Sue said with a grim smile, "At least we know the packs can work together."
"And we know that the Cullens' won't kill us if we kill their friends," Seth added, "Another plus."
"I should hope your future in-laws don't slaughter you," Leah muttered under her breath.
"Leah," Jake warned, but Leah could hear the smile in his voice.
"Nah, it's a good thing to know," Embry agreed with Leah, "You're their mortal enemy. Now you know that they'll side with you over a member of their own species. It's reassuring to know."
"The Cullens won't kill you, Seth," Jacob said with confidence.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Sue said, "Now, Jacob, didn't you just tell Sam you'd let Billy know what happened?"
"This your way of getting us out of your house, Sue?" Jacob asked with a grin.
"Unless you want to cook for us all, Jacob, it's my way of saying that I have dinner to get ready and I'm guessing that Seth has homework to do," Sue answered, "Would you like to cook?"
"I'll go talk to my dad." Jacob held his hands up as he stood up. Embry and Quil, his most loyal minions, stood up, too.
"Thanks for letting us use your house!"
"Thanks, Mrs. Clearwater!"
"Good job today, Leah," Jacob smiled at her as he closed the door behind him, "You did a really good job."
Despite herself, Leah beamed with pride.
For a college campus, Peninsula Community College was dead. It shouldn't have been too surprising, seeing as it was a Friday afternoon, but Leah was one of four patrons in the large campus coffee shop. Everyone else had their laptops open or textbooks and were studying, but Leah had nothing except a folder of fliers and her class schedule for next semester that her advisor had given her.
After realizing that the deadline to register for classes was rapidly approaching (and after much hassling from Sue), Leah had made the trek to the Peninsula Community College to meet with the same advisor she'd first met with long ago when she first graduated from high school. Her advisor was overly enthusiastic about Leah's return and kept talking about how this could be a "new leaf" for Leah and a chance to try again. Even when Leah admitted she still had no idea what she wanted to study, her advisor promised her that that was normal, and maybe that this new Leah who was on this new leaf would find a new interest. Not knowing what else to do, Leah signed up for nearly all the same classes that she had dropped last spring after she first phased, although her advisor assured her she would be able to make changes for a while still.
Leah had caught a ride with Sue, who had a dentist appointment in Port Angeles that afternoon. While Leah's meeting with her advisor had gone quickly, Sue's dentist appointment was taking longer. So Leah sat in the coffee shop, waiting for her mother like a thirteen-year-old.
Leah desperately needed a car. She had a few thousand left in savings from working at the Resort and her time working at the Ateara's store, but she had been planning on using that tuition. Even living at home, there was no way to avoid loans, so she knew she could always take out more of them, if necessary. Last year, she'd been able to borrow her dad's car, but they'd sold Harry's truck to help pay off medical bills after his heart attack. Running as a wolf, though much faster than driving, was inconvenient when Leah had schoolbooks and an incentive to wear something other than a tank top and jean shorts.
Leah wondered if Jake would be willing to fix up a car for her. Leah had met Rachel in Forks for lunch on Tuesday, and Rachel's crumbled Hyundai had been replaced with a Kia that had cost Rachel a mere $3000 - $2000 for the old thing itself and $1000 for parts for Jake to fix it up. Between her new car and the assurances from her latest doctor's visit that she'd be able to go to Hawaii in the spring, Rachel was thrilled and in a great mood. She even treated Leah to lunch, her giant wolf appetite, and all, so happy she was with the savings.
Jacob liked fixing cars up, so Leah was reasonably confident that if she provided the parts, then Jacob would provide the labor. He'd done it for Bella just last year, and Jacob and Bella barely knew each other back then. Leah thought her and Jacob's newfound friendship had progressed far enough where he'd do it without a second thought, though they still snapped at each other on nearly a daily basis.
Leah looked around the café. She'd told her mother that she'd be waiting there, although Leah had no idea that it would take so long. Another customer had left, leaving Leah one of three people in the place, excluding the barista. There was a pile of newspapers on the counter, and Leah realized that she might as well peruse the classifieds and see if there were any cars she might want while she was waiting for her mom.
"How much for this?" Leah held up a copy of the Port Angeles Tribune and waved it at the barista. Danny, his nametag read.
"It's the end of the day. You can just have it," he offered her, "You want anything else to drink?"
"Nah, I'm good."
"It's on the house." Danny winked at her.
"I'm good," she reiterated, before adding, "Thanks, though."
"Let me know if you change your mind," he said with a pleasant smile.
Leah narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. It had been months since anyone had treated her like a woman, like a person who used to be attractive. And she had been beautiful, if she could say so herself, back when she had her long hair and weighed forty pounds less. But she was so used to grouchy teenage boys who just saw her as a freaky girl-wolf that the flirting made her suspicious. She stalked out of the coffee shop, not wanting to take her chances at humiliation.
The rain had paused, at least for the time being. Even with only a thin sweater, Leah was perfectly fine in the cold November air, so she sat down and waited for Sue. She flipped through the newspaper, searching for the classifieds.
"Leah? I thought that was you!" Kim smiled at Leah as she crossed the parking lot away from her car.
"Hey, Kim."
"What are you doing here?" Kim asked, standing next to Leah
Leah gestured to her papers and orientation packet, "I registered for classes for next semester."
"And now you're just sitting here?"
"I'm waiting for my mom." There was something about saying the words as a twenty-year-old old that made Leah cringe. Her life was really, truly some type of joke.
"I can give you a ride home if you want," Kim offered politely.
It didn't actually sound awful, sitting in the car with Kim for over an hour driving back to La Push. Maybe Leah really was going soft. But Leah had no way to contact Sue, and Sue's dentist appointment should really be over any minute now. At least she hoped so.
"That's okay, my mom should be here soon."
"Did something newsworthy happen in Port Angeles?" Kim gestured at the paper.
"Huh? Oh, this. No, I'm actually looking at the classifieds… I'm thinking about buying a car."
"Oh, that's exciting! Is there like a certain type you're looking for?"
"Just something cheap. I'm thinking about asking Jacob for help repairing one or whatever."
"I'm sure he will, I mean you two are pretty close now, aren't you?"
Leah stared at Kim, "I… I guess so."
"I just always see you two around La Push together, that's all."
"We're in the same pack and I'm the Beta, so we have to go to the meetings together, just like Sam and Jared."
"Oh, that's right," Kim flushed a little bit, before she changed the subject, "Do you know what classes you're taking yet?"
"This is what I'm signed up for currently," Leah grabbed the sheet her advisor had given her from the folder and offered it to Kim. Without invitation, Kim sat down beside her and started studying it.
"I have Dr. Hernandez now, I like her a lot," Kim said as she looked at the sheet.
"I might change these classes," Leah warned, "If I happen to figure out what I want to study between now and then."
"You don't know either? I'm so glad I'm not the only one. Jared always talks about how he's just planning on running his parents' restaurant and how I can just help him out with that. But I'm not sure, I think I might want to do something else, you know? Like he gets to go out and fight -" Kim lowered her voice, " - vampires, but I'm stuck inside helping Emily bake or taking these stupid classes. And I hate just sitting around. I could never work in an office. I want to do something on my feet. But I bet you're like Jared, you don't really want excitement, do you?"
Leah chuckled at Kim's little speech. It was the most she'd ever heard the girl speak, "No, I really don't. Something boring would be fine."
"You could always be an accountant. My dad's an accountant and I've always thought it was the most boring job around."
Leah considered this for a second. She'd never thought of being an accountant before, "Does he like it?"
Kim shrugged, "He doesn't hate it. It pays the bills. He was home in time for dinner almost every day. It's a job."
"Sue's a nurse and she's always on her feet," Leah said after taking a good look at Kim. Kim's eyes had lit up during her little speech, giving her more life, "If you're looking for a job where you don't sit behind a desk."
"I know, I've spoken to her about it once or twice. I've thought about it, but I'm just not sure yet. I'm only eighteen, you know? It seems so young to make a decision like this."
"You know who you're going to marry though, don't you?" The harsh statement came out of Leah's mouth before she could stop it.
Kim shrugged, not at all offended by Leah's words, "Fate or God or the spirits or whatever you want to call it chose Jared for me. I trust their pick. If they could pick my career for me too, then I would love that. But I can see why you don't have the same trust in them. Look, isn't that your mom?"
Sure enough, Sue's car was pulling into the parking lot. Leah immediately stood up, unsure of what to say to Kim. Lucky for her, Kim spoke first.
"It was good to talk to you, Leah. I think we have class at roughly the same time on Tuesday and Thursday. We could carpool if you want. I know you don't like me very much but it could be nice to save gas money." Kim handed Leah back her paper and stood up, too, stepping off the curb and into the parking lot.
"I don't hate you, Kim." It was true, Leah didn't hate Kim. She didn't particularly like her, but she didn't particularly dislike her either.
"I don't hate you, either, Leah," Kim called back with an amused smile as she crossed the parking lot, "Just let me know if you want to carpool!"
"I will," Leah promised as Sue pulled up.
"Was that Kim Connweller?" Sue asked as Leah climbed into the car. Leah buckled up and placed her bag at her feet, but kept her schedule in her hands, still studying it. Her advisor had written the words "New leaf!" on the top of it in some type of stupid motivation attempt.
"Yeah, it was," Leah answered.
"I didn't realize she was taking classes here. What did she have to say?"
"She just wanted to know what I was doing here and my class schedule for next semester. She mentioned carpooling next semester," Leah said casually.
"Would you want to do that?" Sue asked cautiously.
Leah thought about it for a moment, "Maybe."
"I'm sure you can give her an answer after you've had some time to think about it. What classes did you sign up for?"
As Leah told her mother about her classes and her meeting with her advisor, she also considered Kim's offer. Although Leah's first thought was to turn Kim down, she also realized that, even if she did end up buying a car, Kim was right, it would be nice to save some gas money.
Her advisor had stressed that it was a new leaf, a new semester. A new semester, a new Leah. Maybe a new Leah wouldn't hate all the imprints on principle. Rachel certainly wasn't bad and neither was Kim, evidently. And in some weird ways, Leah did miss Emily. It would be her own private resolution then: to try to start over with a new attitude. But she wouldn't tell anyone. She couldn't let anyone know she'd gone soft. A new leaf, a new semester, and a new Leah. It was a good goal.
Hi, sorry for the late update! Weekly updates are my goals but unfortunately this chapter was very difficult for me to write and my life has been a little crazy so this is a bit late. The next chapter will also be late as I am going out of town next weekend but after that I will try to get back to weekly updates.
I just wanted to say thank you for all the incredible feedback I've gotten, it really means the world to me! Seriously it makes me so happy. I did have someone worry that we won't get to see Leah and Jacob together, but please do not worry as we will have several chapters where they're together so you have that to look forward to!
Please let me know your thoughts!