CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

"It's pretty clear he's got the hots for you, Zora."

She frowned slightly, her fingers buried in her hair as she spoke with Leah over the phone.

"Well, yeah…I know that. But I-I don't know how to handle…all of this," she sighed, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she mulled over the instance at the beach earlier.

It hadn't been easy to feign an outward appearance of nonchalance around Jacob, to act as if she was uninterested in his words and actions when she was actually teeming with nerves on the inside. He was making his feelings for her incredibly obvious, and though his lack of subtlety gave her some joy, the feeling she felt most often was anxious.

In the week she'd been home, something between them changed. Like the flick of a switch, their bond lit up and deepened. The imprint had grown stronger, evident in the intense yearning she tried and failed to fight against. It was unnatural to want to be near him so desperately that her chest ached; unnatural that thoughts of him streamed through her mind like the rapid flow of a river.

His acceptance of their connection unleashed the tidal wave of emotions that, unbeknownst to her, were locked within. Loving him when he loved someone else was a muted version of the love she felt now that his feelings had shifted to her. It was what Sam and Jared knew the unyielding adoration and devotion, the willingness to do anything, be anything for their imprint.

She felt it, too and it scared her.

It should've given Zora some solace to know that Bella was no longer in the picture, but the source of her anxiety was not knowing if Jacob let her go because he actually had feelings for her...or because she was the only other available option.

"Handle what?" Leah said. "The fact that you both know you're into each other?"

"Yes…no…I don't know!" Zora grumbled. "All I know is that I wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't said anything."

"Is that a bitchy way of saying thank you? Because you're welcome."

Zora huffed, but she knew Leah was right. It was her admitting to Jacob of Zora's love for him that prompted his change of heart, and though it gave her some relief to now navigate the pack mind without the mentally taxing burden of keeping a secret, she wished she could have withheld the truth a little while longer. Change wasn't her strong suit, and it was happening fast too fast.

"You're right," she sighed. "Thank you. I don't want to talk about me anymore, though. How was your meeting with the admissions advisor?"

"Boring," Leah yawned. "We discussed admissions requirements and my 'goals' as a 'prospective student.'"

Zora could hear the grimace in her voice and chuckled. "Your too-cool-for-school act doesn't work on me, Clearwater. I know you're excited."

"Don't get me wrong, I am excited," she admitted. "You literally almost dying made me re-evaluate some things. I had to rethink my 'Stay-at-Home Mom without the Mom' plan, so community college it is – for now. And who knows, maybe I'll even transfer to the University of Washington like your creeper boyfriend."

Zora rolled her eyes and grinned. "Okay, first of all, Allen's not my boyfriend. And second, I'm super happy for you."

"Thanks, but don't get too excited because I expect you to do all of my math homework. Now go get ready for work! I'll talk to you later."


"Clean up on aisle 7!"

Zora snickered to herself as the command was followed by a bout of laughter, Jared cackling at his poor imitation of a southern accent.

He's lucky this place is closed, she thought, his laughter magnified by the intercom as it echoed through the empty store. She continued straightening rows of canned beans, her snicker turning into quiet laughter when she heard the store owner reprimand him.

Although her life-long grounding had quickly been rescinded, Zora wasn't completely off the hook. Rather than have her cooped up in the house, her mom opted for a different route, preferring she spend her free time doing something productive. A summer job was the alternative, and now Zora was to spend some of her weekdays and weekends at the only grocery store in La Push; stocking shelves, working the cash register, sweeping, mopping, and counting the number of faded, yellow tiles lining the floor when business was slow.

She was grateful Jared was able to help her get the job, and though she would never admit it, even more grateful that he worked some of the same shifts as her. When he wasn't rambling on and on about how amazing Kim was, he was actually quite funny, and laughing and joking with him made the time pass by faster.

Her eyes darted to the clock on the furthest wall, relief washing over her when she saw only a few minutes of her shift remained. She worked quickly, filling in gaps and turning around cans and boxes so that the labels were front-facing. When her designated aisles looked satisfactory, she headed towards the back where the break room was located, ready to discard her tacky green apron and clock out when she spotted Jared on his hands and knees, a bucket of soapy water next to him as he furiously scrubbed at the floor.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Medina."

"How do you know I'm smirking? You're not even looking at me."

"Because I can sense it and your smugness at the fact that I'm stuck here cleaning nonexistent dirt while you get to go home."

"We could've both left at the same time," she offered, shrugging her shoulders. "No one told you to mess around with the intercom."

"Yeah?" he paused to frown up at her. "Well, I have no regrets. Now you can either stand there and do nothing or assist your unbelievably handsome friend by grabbing a brush and helping him clean so he can also go the fuck home."

Zora chuckled. "No, thanks. I'm going to Quil's house, but since I have a curfew, I only have a few hours to hang out so, I'd rather spend time with my friends than help you clean."

"Oh, come on!" he complained. "We're friends! I'll even give you a ride to Quil's."

She shook her head. "I could get there faster by running."

"Alright, how about this: I'll give you a ride and I'll buy you a pizza." When she didn't respond, choosing instead to cross her arms and stare at him with an expectant look, he sighed. "Fine…two pizzas. But that's my final offer."

She grinned triumphantly. "Deal."


"…and Kim doesn't think she looks that great in yellow, but I think she looks beautiful in every color. Sometimes, she thinks I'm lying when I say she looks hot in everything she wears, but it's totally true! Like she could walk around wearing a garbage bag, and I'd still want to—"

"Jared!" Zora interrupted impatiently. "As much as I enjoy hearing about how you worship Kim and the fact that you'd still have sex with her even if she wore trash, I'm gonna have to have to ask you to stop talking."

He gave her the side-eye before barking out a laugh. "Man, you sure are rude when you're hungry."

"It's called hanger," she scoffed. "Now drive faster."

"Relax, Medina! Eager to see your precious lover boy?"

She whipped her head to look at him, her eyes narrowed. "Jacob isn't my lover boy. He's also not going to be there tonight."

"You guys didn't invite him?" he asked incredulously. "Damn, that's cold-hearted. Now he's gonna be all emo tomorrow, and we'll have to suffer through his thoughts."

Zora shifted her gaze back to the windshield wearing a straight-faced expression, her eyes following the dark trees as they whipped past Jared's car. A pang of guilt radiated throughout her chest, however, as she thought of Jacob's feelings being hurt. While she didn't want to cause him any sadness, she wasn't ready to spend time with him as if everything was normal.

She ran after the newborn believing he was lost to her, that he had chosen Bella, and after seeing them kiss, believing that she chose him back. Part of her expected to not make it back alive, and the other half expected that should she live, she'd have to accept for the rest of her life that he'd always love Bella. Only that wasn't the case. She knew Jacob would be different after Edward told her he and Bella were to be married, but she hadn't expected a complete turnaround in him. She wasn't prepared for the romantic thoughts, the way he longingly stared after her, or his blatant admission of the strong feelings he had for her feelings he seemingly had all along, but chose to lock away.

She needed some time to adjust, and she wasn't sure if she trusted him. More than anything, though, she didn't trust herself. The imprint was strong, stronger than it had ever been, and if he wanted to, all he had to do was ask her for forgiveness, friendship, something deeper. She was afraid she'd be more than willing to give in.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," she muttered.

Jared quickly looked at her, shaking his head. "You two are so weird. Just put us out of our misery already and get together."

"It's not that simple. You saw everything he did."

"Yeah, I saw it. And it sucked to see and feel you hurt constantly. I can't imagine Kim putting me through something like that—"

"So obviously," she interjected, her voice bitter, "we can't just forget about the past and get together."

"No, the past will always linger. But now you two have a fresh start! A new opportunity to get to know each other without any complications."

Zora's hands tightened around the boxes of pizza she was holding, her food momentarily forgotten as her fingers dug into the cardboard. Jared didn't understand her apprehension. He hadn't experienced the same grief as her, hadn't felt pain over and over again because of his imprint. He didn't understand why she didn't want to let Jacob in.

Awaiting her reply, he glanced at her shaking hands and frowned. "Zora, I didn't mean to make you upset—"

"It's fine," she murmured, breathing deeply to suppress the tremors. "Don't worry about it."

He nodded, but an uncomfortable silence sat with them the rest of the drive. Luckily, the unlit winding road soon led to Quil's house, and a sigh of relief left Zora as the small home came into view. She eagerly left Jared's car, bidding him a short farewell before following the grassy path to the front door. Her stomach fluttered as she moved closer, and though the feeling was out of place, she chalked it up to her excitement at seeing her friends. She smiled as she heard their boisterous laughter, and as she raised her fist to knock, the door swung open.

"Who's ready for some semi-cold"—she bumped into Jacob's chest, and the rest of her sentence fell weakly from her lips—"pizza?"

"Hey, Zora," he greeted, smiling down at her.

Her mouth was agape as she stared up at him, her heart feeling as if it lodged in her throat. She forced out a shaky reply. "H-hey."

She could feel the pull between them, the same one she felt at the beach, but it was stronger and harder to ignore as she stood in such close proximity to him. The fluttering in her stomach bloomed into warmth that spread throughout her entire body, and staring into the brightness of his brown eyes made her forget the tension and frustration that plagued her only a few minutes ago.

"What…what are you doing here?" she finally managed to say, taking a slight step backwards.

He must've also felt the change in atmosphere because his smile fell a little. "Embry invited me."

At his response, she lifted an eyebrow and peered over his shoulder, her eyes meeting the aforementioned boy's smirk as he stood behind Jacob.

"What?" Embry shrugged innocently. "He didn't have any plans."

She shot him a glare, attempting to telepathically communicate that she'd kick his ass later. The message wasn't received, though, and his smirk grew wider.

"Hey!" Quil shouted from the living room, the Mario Kart theme song blaring from the TV. "Shut the damn door already! You guys are letting in bugs. And bring the pizza – I'm starving."

Zora sighed, shuffling past a grinning Jacob and a smug Embry.

It was going to be a long night.


"Bro," Jacob groaned, "stop cheating!"

"I'm not cheating," Quil said, wearing an offended expression. "You're just mad because I won five times in a row!"

"Well, I wouldn't be mad if you didn't cheat!"

The two continued bickering back and forth, Zora and Embry laughing as Quil dramatically threw his controller to the ground. Though the night started off tense, a smile quickly found its way onto Zora's face. She was enjoying her time with Embry and Quil, and though she wouldn't admit it aloud, even Jacob. She raced against him a few times, and their playful banter made her feel as if they were old friends.

They all hadn't been able to hang out together in the past – thanks to certain drama – so Zora enjoyed the newfound, lighthearted dynamic between the four of them. However, her curfew quickly approached, their time together cut too short. She stood from the couch and stretched, facing the arguing friends. "Alright guys, I've got to head out."

Their yelling ceased immediately, both looking at her with crestfallen expressions.

"What?" Quil questioned sadly. "Why?"

"I have to be home by eleven. Part of my punishment, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…get that booty home, then. Next time you come over, though, I want a rematch. I refuse to be beaten by Princess Peach."

She chuckled, nodding in agreement. She moved towards Embry, who was draped across the second couch, and gave him a farewell hair tousle, snickering as he swatted at her hand. Last, she turned to Jacob, and not knowing how to say goodbye, awkwardly waved at him.

"See you," he said, his expression unreadable.

"See you."

She headed for the door and pushed it open, her long strides leading her through the grass and onto the dark road in less than a minute. Only the sound of gravel crunching beneath her shoes and owls hooting high in the trees could be heard. And then, several feet behind her, a door opened and closed, loud footsteps racing towards her.

"Zora! Wait up!"

She froze, her stomach fluttering again as Jacob's voice carried to her. A feeling of déjà vu washed over her as she paused to allow him to catch up, her mind drifting to instances in which he'd offered to drive or walk her home.

They'd always ended in sadness.

When he finally appeared beside her, she raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he smiled. "I'm going to walk you home."

"I don't need you to do that," she retorted, ignoring his slight wince at the bluntness of her tone.

"I…" he paused. "I want to walk you home."

She could have melted then, turned into a pathetic, gelatinous puddle from the shy softness he exuded. His smile turned bashful, hands plunging into the pockets of his cut-off shorts. Damn it, she mentally cursed. His timidity was quickly becoming her weakness.

"Fine," she muttered, stalking forward without him. He easily matched her pace, and the two fell into a silence that was unpleasant, but bearable. Should she say something? No, she quickly answered her own thought. He may have been walking her home, but they didn't have to speak.

Or so she thought.

Jacob cleared his throat. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded, his statement causing her hands to sweat.

"Why do you call me 'Jacob' instead of 'Jake'?"

Though she kept her eyes forward, an unwanted heat bloomed in her face. The answer was entirely too embarrassing.

"I didn't think you noticed," she muttered quietly, hesitant. "It's because Bella…she, um, called you 'Jake', and I wanted something that was…that was reserved for me only."

She hoped the night hid her embarrassment because she was certain her face was bright red. Never did she think she would have to share such a mortifying statement with him. Her heart beat faster as she awaited his response, and though he didn't say anything back, the acceleration of his own heart was unmistakable.

The rest of the walk remained quiet, Zora's mind racing and, unbeknownst to her, Jacob's doing the same. They reached her street quickly, and it took a strong amount of willpower to not run home and abandon him on the side of the road. She walked quicker, ready to enter her house, dive into her bed, and bury her humiliation beneath the covers when Jacob stopped in front of her neighbor's house, breaking their silence.

"Zora, I…need to tell you something."

She gulped, unable to meet his eyes. "What is it?"

"I know I have a lot of making up to do, but I want you to know that I...I don't want to be just your friend."

Her breath hitched in her throat, and when she stared up at him, his eyes held an emotion she hadn't seen before. She had always wanted to hear him say those words, but now, after everything, she wasn't ready.

"You know I can't do that right now."

He nodded in understanding. "I know. So...I'm happy just being your friend."

"Thank you," she spoke gently, a feeling of relief washing over her. "I have to go, but I'll see you around."

"Okay," he murmured. "I'll see you around, too."

However, neither of them made a motion to move, and after a seconds-long internal struggle, Zora threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a quick, tight embrace. She caught him off guard, and before he had time to respond, she let go.

"Goodnight, Jacob," she said, offering a small smile as she backed away.

His lips pulled into a wide, dazed grin. "Goodnight, Zora."


(Revised 4/14/2021)

AN: Whew! I've been writing like crazy to get this chapter finished and posted! I re-wrote it several times, and I think I'm finally happy with the way it turned out. I'll probably go back in apply edits later, but for now, enjoy! Also, I want to note that upcoming updates may be less frequent because I'm starting a grad school program next week to become certified in teaching! I'm hella nervous (and also super anxious), and I'll have to spend a majority of my time getting work done. So, I'll write when I can because this story is my baby and I could never abandon it.

Stay safe and healthy, lovelies!