CHAPTER ELEVEN
Saturday finally approached, and Zora was not happy about it. Attendance to the council meeting was mandatory, meaning she had no choice but to be in the presence of the world's biggest vampire ass kisser.
"We should go on a road trip," she said to Leah. They were lazily sprawled across Leah's twin-sized bed, Zora's legs resting on Leah's stomach, and Leah's feet perched next to Zora's face.
"When?" Leah asked, her eyes closed.
"Today, right now."
"Where?"
"Along the West Coast. We could stop in Oregon and stay with my dad."
"In whose car?"
Zora shrugged her shoulders. "We'll steal one."
Leah chuckled. "I like the way you think. I've been wanting to test my hot wiring skills."
"You know how to hot wire a car?"
"No," Leah replied, prompting Zora to roll her eyes. "Isn't that what the Fast and Furious movies are for, though? We'll just watch them 'til we learn."
Zora exhaled a heavy sigh. Unfortunately, running away wasn't on her list of options - Sam and the elders made sure of that. She grabbed a pillow and placed it over her face.
"Smothering yourself?"
"I was going to scream," Zora answered, her voice muffled, "but your idea sounds better."
"Under normal circumstances, I'd be happy to help," Leah yawned loudly, tensed in a stretch before falling limp. "Too tired, though. Let's save the suffocation for another day."
Zora remained quiet, and in a few, slow breaths, Leah was fast asleep. Although Zora was tired as well—she and Leah had only finished their patrolling an hour ago—sleep wouldn't come to her. She was nervous about the bonfire, and more specifically, nervous about facing Jacob after successfully avoiding him the past few days. Luckily, he had taken the hint, but she wished he would have at least made some attempt to apologize to her about the almost-kiss incident.
He didn't, though - because boys suck, and he's the suckiest one out of all of them - and it worsened her already-grumpy mood. Still, she decided she'd had enough of the sadness, enough of feeling sorry for herself. If Jacob wasn't going to own up to his mistake, then she would continue ignoring him. She would never beg a boy for an apology, and she wasn't about to make an exception for him just because he was her imprint.
With a surge of confidence, she shot up from the bed—accidentally jostling Leah who swatted the air with closed eyes—and made the trek home.
Zora stepped into the night and was greeted with a sky full of stars.
Although the temperature had dropped and was now accompanied by a chilly breeze, she was warm in her cut-off shorts, flip flops, and over-sized hoodie. It was the perfect evening for a bonfire, and despite her previous nerves, she was excited to be with her friends, hear the legends, and most importantly, eat s'mores.
Everyone was gathered on a steep cliff top, the ocean waves tumbling against the rocks below. By the time she arrived, the festivities were in full swing. A bright, crackling fire sat in the center of a makeshift pit; and gathered around it was a group of people sharing conversation and laughter, some whose faces she knew and others she hadn't met before. There was a girl sitting on Jared's lap, her cheeks tinged a bright shade of red as his arms wrapped around her waist. He gazed at her with a look she recognized, a mouth-agape, wonderstruck expression, and Zora knew instantly that she was Kim, his imprint. Next was the elderly, wrinkled man sitting next to Quil, his eyes dark and pensive. She could tell he was one of the Quileute elders, armed with knowledge and stories about their ancestors' past. And next to him sat another man, not as old, but not young either. He was perched in a wheelchair, chuckling at something Sam was saying. His laughter and his smile reminded her of someone, and before she could identify who it was, a hand grasped her shoulder.
"There you are," Leah said, prompting Zora to jump with fright. She turned around and met Leah's narrowed eyes. "I can't believe you snuck out on me like I was some terrible one night stand."
"Sorry. I...had some stuff to take care of."
Leah smirked. "Like what? Put on makeup?"
Zora's face grew uncomfortably warm. After leaving Leah's house, she had spent the rest of the afternoon rummaging through her mom's makeup supply to experiment with application. Her skills were mediocre at best, so she wasted most of the time scrubbing concealer, eyeliner, and whatever else she had slathered across her face off of her skin.
"I thought I'd switch it up a little," she muttered, her voice meek. "How did you even know?"
"You've got some lipstick smeared across your left cheek."
Eyes wide and panicked, Zora quickly wiped the lipstick with the sleeve of her sweater. When Leah gave a nod of approval, she relaxed the tiniest bit.
"It was a lame idea," she said sheepishly. "I wanted to look like this bad ass, unbothered girl. Instead, all I did was paint a clown face."
"My dear, a bare face and a face full of make-up are both bad ass. It doesn't have to be one or the other."
Zora smiled warmly in response. There was one thing she didn't hate about turning into a giant wolf, and it was that she had gained a best friend who understood her. "Lee, you're so wise...kind of like an old lady. I wanna be like you when I grow up."
Leah snorted. "That wasn't the world's greatest compliment, but it'll do." She linked arms with Zora, an amused grin on her face. "Come on, nerd. Let's go find a seat."
Soon, the marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars were being passed around, and Zora excitedly took a large handful of each. She waited patiently to use one of the few roasting sticks being passed around, but patience wearing thin, she left the group to quickly search for a long, thin branch. Though it was dark beyond the fire, she could easily see in the night. She'd spotted a perfectly-sized stick on the ground when she heard footsteps and voices approaching.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to be here? I don't want to intrude."
"Relax, Bella. Everyone knows you're coming. Plus, you're involved now – it's only right you hear the history."
Zora was sure her heart skipped a beat.
The leech lover was here, and even worse, she and Jacob were headed straight for her. All of the confidence she'd built up earlier faded as soon as she recognized Bella's voice. Momentarily frozen, she thought of her very limited options: hide behind one of the many logs littering the forest floor and wait for them to pass or stand tall and face them bravely. With only seconds to decide, she threw herself to the ground. Flattening her body as much as possible, she lay in the dirt still and rigid, careful to breathe quietly so that Jacob wouldn't hear her.
"Are you nervous?"
"A little…" Bella murmured, "but I feel better being next to you."
Zora rolled her eyes, positive that her words put a big, dopey grin on Jacob's face. They were right in front of her now, and though she felt damp with nervous sweat, her eyes clamped shut, neither of them detected she was hiding. Leaves crunched and twigs snapped beneath their feet as they walked away, and once they were out of earshot, she let out a sigh of relief. The calm was momentary, though. She would have to join the others and finally face the Bella Swan.
"You can do this," she whispered to herself. "You're strong and awesome and you're not gonna let some paleface make you feel like you're not good enough."
After taking several deep and controlled breaths, she rose from her hiding place and slowly walked back to the rest of the pack. When she arrived, the atmosphere was still lively. Marshmallows and hot dogs were being roasted, and laughter still filled the chilly air. She easily spotted Leah, who was chewing on a slightly burned hot dog, oblivious to the fun around her. No one had taken the seat beside her, so she trudged over to her friend as if nothing had happened.
"Zora?"
She stopped in her tracks, the surprise in his voice grating her nerves. She could keep walking and ignore Jacob, but at risk of looking like an ass, she turned around.
"Jacob."
She was only partially affected by the adorable, wide-eyed expression he was wearing.
"I…I didn't think you'd be here."
"Why wouldn't I be here?" she retorted. "I'm part of the pack, too."
"I know," he blurted awkwardly. "I just meant…I haven't seen you in a while."
I wonder why, she wanted to say. She wasn't expecting the firmness with which she spoke to him, but she didn't mind it. It was her turn to be the angry one. She crossed her arms, her expression steely. "I didn't want to run into you."
"I get that," he muttered, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. "I've wanted to talk to you, though."
"I don't want to hear what you have to say."
She was aware that the laughter died down and could feel the eyes of her pack mates observing her and Jacob. She was tired of her interactions with him always being a spectacle for the others, and though part of her wanted to slink away and hide, she stood her ground. His sad expression, like a small child being scolded, was almost enough for her to rethink her resolve, but another voice - an uninvited one - joined the conversation and relit her fire.
"That's harsh," Bella said.
Zora hadn't noticed her move to stand beside him like some sort of pathetic protector. Seeing her in person, in such close proximity made her fists curl. She was conventionally pretty, of course, with her upturned nose, small lips, pale skin, wavy hair, and eyes the color of chocolate. And unlike Zora, who was only a couple of inches shorter than Jacob, Bella was petite and dainty and had all of the feminine qualities she did not. There were so many things Zora wanted to say to her, so many words and phrases better left in her thoughts.
But she wasn't there to start a fight, especially with someone who was not her equal – a small, fragile human.
"What I talk about with Jacob is none of your business," she answered, her words sharp. As she walked back to her seat, unfazed by the various surprised expressions, she called over her shoulder with disgust, "Oh, and it's nice to finally meet you, Bella."
(Revised 1/17/2021)
