Jessica Stanley, GOAT
Part XI
"-when Embry and I found your car off the road, at first I was dumbfounded. How could someone just veer off the road and crash? Was it intentional or an accident? Then I immediately jumped to the thought of what if they are still in the car."
Without missing a beat, Seth yanked Jessica into his chest and held her close as he continued. She closed her eyes to focus on his words and not the calming sound of his heartbeat.
"I am the one-" Seth buried his face into the crook of Jessica's neck, "who made it to the driver's side window first that was smeared in your blood. I couldn't even make out who you were from the glass that wasn't covered in it." Jessica's throat tightened when Seth's body began to tremble along with his voice. "You weren't dead. But you weren't doing well. You looked young and had so much to do with your life still. I wanted you to make it and be okay. And Jess-"
Jessica didn't bristle this time when he called her Jess. Instead she focused on the affectionate way he used her name.
"You opened your eyes for a brief moment when I tried to wake you up. In your dark, blue beautiful eyes I saw something."
Jessica gulped and willed herself to remain still despite the jittery feeling in her stomach revved up by Seth's warm breath fanning her neck. Check for not love at first sight. Not love at first glance either though, right?
With no warning, Seth snapped his head up and the jitters still held Jessica captive as her eyes were glued to his face. Seth's intense gaze on her offered no indication of what he was going to say next, yet Jessica emotionally braced herself for the words to come.
"The second time you opened them, I recognized what I saw. A raging fire of hate for me, since I was making you wake up." Seth chuckled and pressed a light kiss on Jessica's cheek. She knew he saw her jaw drop too. He got her good. What a little runt for yanking her chain like that!
Seth gripped Jessica's arms in each hand to mockingly thwart her attempt at shoving him away in protest at his terrible joke. "I am sure if you could've talked then you would've given me hell. But you indulged my request. And I thought, she holds her tongue when she is pissed beyond belief. Perhaps you couldn't speak too, or secretly desired to deck me or something. I wondered what you would say if you could have spoken at the time. Probably nothing nice."
Jessica giggled into Seth's chest as she leaned into him because she agreed that was true.
"I wanted to know more though." Jessica's ears perked up when Seth's voice shifted to a serious tone again. He was going to be honest. Perhaps finally answer her question. Why did he like her? And for the life of her she was as excited as she was scared.
"All my life I have been told how good, nice and pure I am. Little Seth Clearwater can do no wrong. Okay, I admit that is true." Jessica elbowed Seth in the ribs to remind him he was supposed to be the one who shows humility. "But why? Why am I the way I am? What is the point of this personality or reputation? Am I supposed to meet someone like myself and have this happy wholesome life together? Or was I made this way because I serve as water for someone's fire? Not to douse out, but to help contain or control it. And what they bring to the table is their ability to vaporize that water and show water another way of living beyond what they know."
"What if I want to be the water?"
"Then my analogy went over your head," Seth chided in good fun.
"Fire and water aren't supposed to work. It's like playing that game of rock, paper, scissors. Always a winner and a loser."
"I say they can. Remember, I am the optimistic pure soul."
"And I am the pessimistic fiery soul that brings you back down to earth?"
"No...you are a strong, determined person who shows me that someone is capable of change. But not all change is necessary. I think you believe you need to become this whole new person. You don't. I like you how you are right now. If you want to keep improving, I am all for it. But don't change who you are because you think that's what being nice is."
"So you think-" Seth's lips lightly pressed against Jessica's own lips for a chaste kiss.
"Now Jess, let me finish. I was getting to the answer you wanted. I like you because I feel challenged when we are together. Usually girls think they can walk all over me. Sure, you try at times, but with you I can fight back and it's all fun and games. You don't mind it. You get a kick out of it. You scrunch you're nose when you laugh and cross your eyes when you are irritated at something I say. You avoid drama but know when to stand up for yourself. You are strong and hard headed. I like you because I want to be closer to the flame that burns so bright on her own. And… I like who I am when I am with you." Seth followed up with another kiss that ghosted Jessica's mouth before asking, "is that a sufficient answer?"
Without wanting to spoil the moment with words, Jessica let her lips do the talking.
And god damn was Seth a good kisser. She didn't want to look trampy and go further than second base, but oh boy were his lips convincing her otherwise. How did he get to be such a good kisser? His tongue, the movement of his lips all-
Fuck. How did she forget he wasn't a virgin? And here she was one at 21. Life couldn't get any more sucky. It was not like she hadn't dated experienced men before but... none significantly younger with belt notches of their own.
She didn't let her mini crisis affect the way her lips moved in rhythm with Seth's as he lowered their bodies to the ground in a such smooth fashion that Jessica hardly noticed he did it at all. It was perfect and her mind was like, screw you Jessica, let's have a melt down over this later and enjoy this moment for now.
And she was! Very much! They had been ignoring her cell phone ringing in the background. But after the third call attempt, Jessica needed to make it go away. She was going to shut it off. Until she saw the caller was her mother and she flipped her phone open and responded "Mom?"
"Honey! I am back home. I got an early flight. Where are you?"
"Ummmm..." Jessica looked down at Seth's desirable face and very kissable lips. His eyebrows lifted in amusement probably wondering what she was stalling on saying as well as her mother, "On a...date." Jessica hissed out the word date like it was a foreign language or words never spoken before by her.
"Wrap it up. Come home. I have big news that cannot wait." Typical for Jessica's mom to be so selfish. Her mom hadn't seen her since before the summer so she understood why though.
"K. I'll be home in less than an hour."
"Great! Can't wait to see you, sweetie!"
"Same. Bye." Jessica gaged Seth's face. And she was disappointed that he didn't look disappointed. What a letdown.
"So...I have to go home."
"Sure. Let me pack things up. I am surprised you're moving so fast. Didn't think I would be meeting your mom after date number two."
Jessica lightly punched Seth in the arm as he began to fold the blanket they had been sitting on. Jessica grabbed the two corners on the grass and helped him pack it into a nice, transportable square.
"You wish. I haven't seen her since the summer. I didn't come home for winter break or thanksgiving."
"Why not?" Seth asked when leading Jessica to his truck with the picnic basket and blanket in his arms.
"Didn't want to deal with the family drama. My parents finally got a divorce last summer after being separated for years. It was just a vicious cycle of how I would be forced to split my time with bitter parents who just wanted to talk shit about each other."
"Oh."
"So, trust me when I say I am sparing you from meeting my mother."
"If you say so." Seth opened the passenger side door for Jessica. She stopped midway upon entering the truck. Swiftly, she turned around to kiss Seth on the lips.
A cheery smile bloomed on his face before he shut the door once she was inside.
...
"Give and take works both ways," Jessica insisted as Seth pulled up to her mom's apartment.
"Sure. But if I give a little more and you take a little more, that doesn't bother me."
"You're insufferably positive sometimes, Seth."
"It's all a part of my charm."
Jessica smiled. But as quickly as the corner of her lips flicked up, they fell down into a deep frown. Something was wrong. Seth's face grew dark in the interior light of his truck. Jessica's eyes grew wide as she watched in surprise as Seth thrust the shift stick in reverse. Before he could step on the gas, Jessica thrust open the truck door and jumped outside.
"Get in. Now." Seth's voice was level coming through the open side passenger door, but a veiled threat of anger simmered under the surface. Jessica didn't understand his 180. She had never seen him so angry. It was troublesome. She was going home, and he couldn't stop her.
"What the hell? You can't order me around," Jessica retorted before swerving on her back heel to face the apartment. Before she took two steps forward, Seth was in front of her.
That was impossible. She had just watched him curse under his breath in the truck before she turned around. There was no way he could humanly move to her so fast.
Worry lines began to etch in his face that overpowered the abnormal angrier features he was displaying.
"I am not asking. There is a vampire in there."
What the double hells? She knew there was a catch. Seth was too good to be true. Underneath it all he was crazy.
"Suuuuuuuuure, Seth." But Seth didn't let her side step him. She was cut off from moving forward. Jessica was torn between being confused by his seriousness yet angry he wasn't letting her go inside.
"I am not playing. There are-" Seth inhaled in an exaggerated fashion. "Three. Inside that place. We need to get out of here. I need to tell my pack."
"Seth, my mom's in there. Alone. Not a vampire. Where is all this crazy coming from?"
"You won't come with me or believe me unless I show you," Seth reasoned to himself more than for Jessica's benefit it seemed to her.
"Then so be it. I have another pair of clothes under my seat. Jake will get this was an emergency." Seth dragged Jessica gently but with force (she wasn't protesting as her curiosity had gotten the better of her) to the alleyway between her mom's apartment and the next one over.
He commanded she stay put before he backed up a good twenty or so feet towards the end of the alleyway. In the blink of an eye, Seth was replaced by a frightening wolf looking beast. And while Jessica screamed, she muffled her own scream with her hand as she processed Seth just turned into a fucking wolf and supposedly vampires were in her mom's apartment. If Jessica was any other girl, she probably would have fainted or ran away. But then for some odd reason she thought of Bella Swan's weird behavior around Seth, Jake and his friends and realized that bitch knew. And if Bella Swan could handle a fucking secret like this, Jessica would pretend to be the most chill bitch on earth about it. Because...well because she damn well felt like it.
Mind blowing secret aside.
Vampires.
In her mom's apartment.
Panic rippled through Jessica's body and drove her to action as she abandoned Seth in the alleyway to find her mother.
Author's Note: Wolves, (fill in the blank), and Vampires, oh my! :O
So, there are like a million iterations out on FanFic of how an imprint is told about wolves/reacts. I added the Jessica connecting Bella knowing to mild down her physical/mental response because as a reader I am sure you have read every response under the sun of how an imprint would react. SO I am saving us time and making it funny for my own enjoyment
Response to review:
Cassy-Kay: Yay! Glad you loved it! Thanks for the review!
Marianka: Jessica is realizing she can be good/nice, especially in the upcoming installments ;) I like the spelling of your daugher's name! Thanks for the support! Hope you enjoyed this update!
Anelacorus: See, not a long wait in-between! Bet you didn't see that conversation unfolding as it did ;) but nonetheless, the wolf is out of the bag now :D