CHAPTER TEN
"Hold up—you and Jacob almost kissed?!" Leah shouted, her eyes wide.
She and Zora were walking to the nearest gas station to buy snacks. It was their afternoon routine: Zora would be dismissed from school, head over to Leah's place, and coax her out of the house with the promise of Chex mix and shit-talking.
"Yes," Zora sighed. "We almost kissed, but he said Bella's name right before it was about to happen, and I nearly gutted him."
The almost-kiss had happened less than 24 hours ago, so the disappointment was still very fresh. It took Zora hours to calm down enough to shift back into a human; she roamed the forest angrily, stomping through the darkness as she replayed the incident in her mind over and over again. Jared and Sam were patrolling as she phased and immediately saw what happened. Although both of them had imprints, they didn't understand her unique situation. Their imprints accepted them, after all. They tried to calm her down, but the effort was lost. She drowned them out with raging thoughts.
"That sucks," Leah replied. "You want me to kick his ass?"
"Uh, yeah. I'll even help you."
They both started to laugh, but Zora paused to groan loudly. "Everyone probably already saw what happened! That's so embarrassing." She looked down at the ground, roughly kicking rocks as they walked. She wasn't angry anymore, just hurt. Jacob was making it clear that Bella would always come first, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. If his choosing her continued to last…she may have to forget about him entirely.
"Take those sad hands out of those sad pockets, Medina. He knows he got to you, so now you have to show him that you're a hard ass who won't wallow in her own misery."
Despite the sadness she felt, Zora managed a half-hearted smile. Her friendship with Leah had been beneficial to both of them - Zora had someone to lean on, someone who could talk her out of the spiral of thoughts she often experienced; and Leah had someone who challenged her emotionally, who encouraged her to not be afraid of openness and vulnerability. Together, both girls learned that love and happiness didn't solely depend on the interest of some guy - it could come from true friendships, too.
"Fine," Zora grumbled reluctantly, "but I don't want to talk to him."
"That's alright," Leah said, her warm grin turning into a mischievous one. "Now, do me a favor and go flirt with the cashier while I pocket some chocolate bars."
"Me?" Zora questioned, a loud, incredulous laugh escaping her. "He likes you more than he likes me."
"That's true...okay, how about this: I'll flirt with him while you pocket the chocolate bars. But if he catches on, you have to flash him as a distraction."
Zora snorted, her frustration forgotten. "Deal."
Zora arrived home before the sun began to set and expected to walk into an empty house. As she opened the door, though, she was greeted with the tantalizing scent of sautéed garlic.
"Who's there?" she called out apprehensively. She walked towards the kitchen slowly, her fists clenched and ready to swing if need be.
"Who do you think?" the person called back.
She rushed into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to see her mom, Autumn, at the stove. "Mom, what are you doing home already?"
"I was able to get off early," she said, smiling warmly. "Dr. Cullen noticed how hard I've been working and gave me a little break."
Zora stiffened at the name. Dr. Cullen, as in…vampire. She had always known her mom worked alongside a Carlisle Cullen, but didn't make the connection that he was part of the Cullen clan until now. She almost screamed.
"You okay, honey?" Autumn frowned. "You don't look so good." She was about to place a hand on Zora's forehead, but the younger girl dodged it swiftly.
"I'm fine. Just a little…tired," she lied. Zora knew her mom would panic if she touched her freakishly warm skin.
"At least give me a hug," Autumn insisted, and before Zora could protest, she was pulled into a shockingly strong embrace. As expected, her mom recoiled instantly. "Zora, you're burning up. You have a serious fever."
"N-no, I don't. I'm fine, really," Zora stammered reassuringly. "I was…exercising before I came home. That's why I feel so warm."
She knew it was a bad story; she could see the disbelief written all over her mom's face. Plus, she had been working in the medical field for several years and could identify an ailment in a second. Still, her mom didn't push for the truth, which Zora was thankful for because she wouldn't be able to tell her — no matter how hard she tried.
After a long minute of scrutiny, Autumn shook her head and said, "Let's eat. I made ravioli."
After three generous helpings of pasta—that her mom watched her devour with astonishment—Zora was perched on her bed, glaring at her English homework. She could easily calculate an equation, but had no idea what iambic pentameter was and why Shakespeare even bothered to use it. Her mom was lying next to her, her nose buried in a horror-mystery novel. She and Zora didn't spend time together often and felt it was important they be near each other as much as possible. Zora was all she had, after all.
"Zora?"
"Hmm?"
"You seem different."
Zora's frustrated frown smoothed and she set down her pencil. She was not expecting to hear those words, her mother's observation making her feel slightly perturbed. "What do you mean?"
"You seem…stronger, somehow. And more distant."
She gazed at her mom whose kind face was filled with concern. Zora didn't resemble her much; the older woman had high cheekbones and soft features. Her hair was lighter and her brown skin was without freckles. Years of working long shifts at the hospital had taken its toll, her face adorned with faint frown lines and dark eye circles. Still, she was beautiful and the most caring person Zora knew.
A knot twisted in her stomach at having to withhold the truth.
"I told you, Mom. I've been exercising," Zora said, smiling half-heartedly. "I've even put on some muscle." She flexed one of her arms and made an exaggerated straining noise, but her mom didn't budge.
"You've grown taller, too. I didn't realize seventeen-year-old girls still went through dramatic growth spurts."
"It was probably just late," Zora replied nervously, her body beginning to perspire.
Autumn sighed. "Zora, honey…I also know that you've been sneaking out most nights."
Zora's heart almost leapt from her chest. She thought she had been extremely careful, that her mom was fast asleep, too worn out to wake in the middle of the night. Apparently, she was wrong.
"Mom, I can explain—"
"Are you involved in something illegal? Like drugs…or steroids?"
Zora couldn't help the loud, surprised laugh that burst from her mouth. "Mom! No, I'm not taking drugs or steroids. You know I'd never do that."
"How am I supposed to know?" Autumn asked, still looking worried. "You don't share anything with me anymore."
And it was true. Zora couldn't share any of the pack's secrets — not even to her own mother. It was an executive order from Sam that she literally couldn't disobey. But how badly she wanted her mom to know that she could turn into a wolf…and vehemently question her about who the hell passed it onto her.
"There are some things that I just…that I want to keep to myself," Zora murmured. "I can promise you, though, that I'm not in any kind of danger. I'm safe."
It was another lie she had to force past her teeth, but her mom took the bait. She sighed, cupping Zora's cheek. "Okay, that makes me feel a little better."
The pair smiled at each other, and then Zora laid her head on her mom's lap. Having her hair stroked was the ultimate comfort; her eyes became heavy, and she suddenly realized how tired she was - the late night patrols and lack of sleep were finally catching up with her. She could have fallen asleep nestled against her mom, but a loud knock at the door pulled her from her peace.
She groaned. "Who is that?"
"I don't know, but it's a little late for visitors."
Autumn removed herself from Zora's bed and went to answer the door. Zora lay with her arms spread out, ready to fall asleep when her mom called out, "Uh, Zora, there's someone here to see you."
She groaned again and rose from her bed. Grumbling a slew of swear words, her face pinched with irritation, she trudged down the dimly lit hallway. The swearing stopped abruptly when she saw who was standing outside. It was Embry…and he happened to be shirtless.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed, her eyes wide. "And why are you half-naked?"
"We were supposed to practice tonight," he muttered, awkwardly crossing his arms in an effort to cover his chest. "I didn't know your mom was going to be home or I would've worn a shirt."
Autumn raised both of her eyebrows. "What are you two practicing for when I'm not home?"
Zora was internally dying of humiliation, her face blazing as she stuttered, "A-A weightlifting competition."
She was quickly running out of lies to tell, and the more she fibbed, the less believable they became. Still, Embry joined in enthusiastically. "Yeah! A weightlifting competition! I work…until the evening, so we only have time to practice after my shift is over."
"Exactly," Zora nodded fervently. "And the reason he isn't wearing a shirt is because…"
"I wanted Zora to look at my muscles," he nearly shouted, his face reddening as soon as the words left him. "I've been working out extra hard, and I wanted to see…if-if she'd notice?"
It was clear he was also uncomfortable (and utterly terrible) at lying, and watching him struggle to produce a plausible explanation made Zora want to knock herself unconscious and not wake up for the next ten years.
"They look great!" she exclaimed, slapping him on the chest in a not-so-friendly manner. Embry chuckled loudly, but the noise sounded like he was trying to disguise a cry of pain. He and Zora briefly glared at each other before turning to face the short woman standing in front of them, her expression a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
"Well…" Autumn began, pausing to look between the two of them suspiciously. "Don't have her home too late, Embry."
Both teenagers released the breath they were holding.
"Thanks, Mom. Don't wait up for me. I'll be back soon!" And with that, she ran out of the house before her mom could say anything else, unaware of the fact that she wasn't wearing shoes. Embry followed after her, and they didn't stop until they were deep within the tangle of trees.
"That…was so...dumb," she remarked, exasperated. "I hate lying to her. I'm horrible at it."
"Same. My mom doesn't know about me either." Embry's expression was slightly sad as he said, "She knows I sneak out, though, and probably thinks I'm some kind of delinquent. She confronted me a couple times and threatened to kick me out."
Zora echoed his sigh. Why did Sam have to make such absolute rules? Why was he out to make their lives so damn hard?
"This is just great," she uttered sarcastically. "Not only does my mom think I'm on steroids, now she probably thinks we're hooking up while she's gone and taking steroids together."
For a second, Embry and Zora both stared at each other before bursting into a loud fit of laughter.
"Wow. That sounds fucked up."
They were still laughing together, and Zora began thinking about how much she enjoyed his company. It was easy being around him, easy to talk and laugh. She had none of these things with Jacob, only tension and constantly hurt feelings. Thinking of him made her laughter die down until she fell completely silent, and being the observant type, Embry quickly followed suit, the change in atmosphere quieting him.
"I saw what happened."
"Super embarrassing, right?"
"Extra embarrassing. Like, I literally almost died of secondhand embarrassment watching you two."
Zora punched his shoulder lightly, his chuckle prompting her to smile. "Shut up."
"Seriously, though, I think he'll come around. He's in denial, but it's clear he likes you."
"But Bella—"
"Screw Bella."
She raised an eyebrow, surprised by his assertive statement. Out of the entire pack, he was the person she least expected to say anything negative about another person - he's so nice it makes me want to puke, Leah's voice echoed in her thoughts - and she knew that he and Quil considered Bella a friend of theirs. Still, she appreciated his encouraging tone; she was glad to have another person on her side.
"Sure, she's nice and all," he said, "but you're way cooler than her. Plus, you've got bigger biceps. You're clearly the better choice."
Zora snorted, her lips curving into a wide grin. "Thanks, Embry."
"No problem," he smiled back. He threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her further into the forest. "Now cheer up 'cause we're in for a long night of practicing and patrolling."
