Chapter 3

Something About Raven

Jacob eagerly skipped his last class, leaving school for the day.

He planned to take another ride by the Forks High School. He looked forward to seeing Raven again, figuring he needed to know more about her to satisfy the curiosity he'd experienced over the weekend. As he drove to Forks, he realized he hadn't thought about Nessie or Bella for those days, either, which was unusual for him. But if occupying his mind with Raven helped, so be it.

He also hadn't been out to see any of the guys. After Bella and Edward took Nessie away, he didn't want to hang around any of the others with their imprints. Even though it was only temporary, the void Nessie's absence left hurt. Starting to feel more like himself, he made a mental note to go by Sam's place later, just to touch base and see what, if anything, was up.

Exactly as he hoped, Raven was on her way home from school. He drove up beside her and smiled. She stopped in her tracks, cocking a bewildered eyebrow at him. "Hi," she said.

Turning the ignition off, he started to say he was just in the neighborhood but stopped short of it and said, "I just wanted to come by and see you."

Looking away, a glint of rosy coloring seeped through her cheeks. She turned back to face him, her lips parting then falling closed without uttering a response.

Jacob chuckled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"You didn't. I'm just not comfortable talking with guys," she revealed. "I never know what to say."

"Well lucky for us, I'm good at talking with girls." He grinned. "Can I walk with you again?"

"For a little while," she replied, scanning the area with a worried expression on her face.

In one swift, nearly invisible move, he slipped off the bike and stood beside her. She did a double take, confused, reminding him he needed to be careful around her. Clearing her throat, she tilted her head, tugging gently at her earring. It was easy to see she was more edgy than the first time he spoke to her.

"Is there something wrong, or is it just me?" he teased, attempting to lighten her mood.

"Can we walk through the alley this time?"

"Sure." He shrugged. Jacob didn't need her to explain why. He knew it had something to do with her domineering father.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters or is it just you?" Jacob paced himself; not sure how long Raven would allow him to walk with her and not in hurry to reach her house. He considered how much trouble she might have gotten into the last time and didn't want to put her in that position again.

"It's just me now. My older brother is in the Army." She seemed more at ease once they got into the alleyway. "We moved here because my dad has relatives in the area."

He asked her how she liked Forks so far and how she was adjusting to life in a small town, an obvious gigantic change from a big Texas City like San Antonio. He felt her tense disposition diminishing, getting more comfortable with every step and every word she spoke. He smiled, pleased when he realized he no longer had to pry to get her to say something. She was asking him several questions of her own.

"Hey, I thought you weren't good at talking to guys?" He squinted, pretending to be suspicious.

A warm blush emerged at the remark. "Well, you got me talking, so now you need to shut up and listen." She smirked.

Jacob laughed under his breath. "Talk all you want. I like it. You have a nice voice. You sounded good singing, by the way."

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"I saw you one night, sitting on your front porch playing guitar, and you were singing."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You're kidding? I thought I was barely making any noise at all."

Shit! My super sharp hearing. "I meant. It looked like you were singing. I thought I heard you. Probably was only my imagination."

"Oh. I'm not very good at it. The guitar belonged to my brother. He taught me some chords, but I don't think my hands are built for playing guitar."

It sounded excellent to me.

As they walked and talked, he realized how much he enjoyed her company and surprised himself by saying, "It seems like forever since I've talked with a pretty girl."

Tightening her lips, Raven held on to her smile. "You're purposely trying to embarrass me, aren't you?"

Jacob shook his head, displaying wide-eyed innocence. "Not intentionally, but I like the color, though."

They were a few houses away from hers when she stopped walking. She told him her parents weren't home yet, but she still wouldn't move further up the path. "So, can I call you then?" he asked at the moment's spur, wanting to continue getting to know her.

"Okay." She bit her lip. "I better call you," she said, raising her eyebrows in question as she reached into her backpack and brought out a notebook and a pen.

"Sure." Jacob rattled off his telephone number then climbed on his bike and started to drive off. He glanced back at her and waved.

She smiled brightly as she waved back. He felt good, happy in anticipation of her phone call, before a brief worry she wouldn't call nipped at him. This caused him to question what he would do if she didn't. He shook it off, reassuring himself she would. He wanted to be friends with her, and it seemed that... just like him, she could use one.

Seth met Jacob in the woods beside the beach. You're early, Jacob thought.

Yeah, I know. I got bored, Seth sulked, not his usual chipper self. Thought I'd get out here early then get back early. You know? It's no fun not being able to hear any of the other guys when we're running together.

Hey, Jacob snapped in irritation, you know you could...

I know. I know. I could leave anytime, Seth interrupted. Anything going on?

Nah, been quiet. Thought I heard Leah for a bit, but she must have heard me, too, and phased out. Jacob respected Leah's desire to be alone, and she often reciprocated the courtesy. Unfortunately, this left Seth alone. Quil and Embry had joined Jacob's pack for a short while, but they eventually went back to Sam to avoid Leah.

Leah had moved into her own place now and was taking college courses.

She's getting perfect at blocking her thoughts, Seth said.

It figures, Jacob thought, after all the grumbling Leah got from the guys every time she thought female stuff. She'd been practicing hiding her mind since Sam.

They ran together for a while. Seth told Jacob he thought he'd come across traces of unfamiliar vampire stink on his last patrol.

Maybe some nomads left over from The Conflict, Jacob guessed, as they had named the time they stood on the field prepared to defend the Cullens. Hopefully, just passing through. Besides, I haven't heard about any attacks or disappearances lately.

Me neither.

Jacob let Seth know he planned to head over to Sam's and hang out with the guys for a little while, and then he had to get home. He was looking forward to a phone call.

So, you met a new friend?

Jacob growled.

I know. I know. Mind my business, Seth woofed.

Everyone except Paul showed up at Sam's place. Jacob was glad he'd dropped by on this day to visit. They all kidded each other, laughed, and emptied Emily's refrigerator as usual. It seemed just like old times with a few extra people.

Quil gave Claire a piggyback ride around the yard, and Claire giggled, pulling Quil's hair. For a moment, Jacob felt a wave of guilt for not worrying as much about Nessie these last few days as he probably should. He couldn't pin point the moment his fear from his inability to protect his imprint subsided. It settled into a calm knowledge of Nessie having the time of her life with her mom and dad and the rest of the Cullen clan. There was no better protection than Bella's shield, and he made the right decision, a sacrifice made purely for Nessie's benefit. If not the case, he assumed he'd know it.

Raven smiled, letting out a sigh of relief as she watched Jacob drive out of sight.

The entire time she walked and talked with him, she was shaking inside, worried he could tell how much she wanted him to like her. She didn't want to appear being as lame as she felt sometimes when somebody truly interested her.

The last time she felt as smitten was when she was in San Antonio and had developed a crush on the starting point guard of her high school basketball team. Although they were friends before the shift in her desires occurred, she became hardly able to hold pointless conversations with him, without making a total loser of herself.

She told Jacob she wasn't good at talking with guys, which wasn't the complete truth. She felt comfortable with lots of guys from her school. It was easy for her to get along with the opposite sex, even more than it was for her to get along with some girls, at least, the really frilly ones. She considered herself to be more of a guys' girl with the tomboyish attitudes, second nature to her.

She loved playing basketball and frequently joined the guys on the court during her free hour at school, so she knew quite a few of the popular jocks.

It was only those guys who highly attracted her who put a stumble in her steps and a stutter on her lips.

Raven called Kristy to give her the scoop. A tall, slender blond with beautiful green eyes and over-done hair, Kristy was the sort of girl who thought she was much too sophisticated for high school boys. She and Raven had nothing in common, but despite the obvious differences they became really great friends the moment they met.

Mike barred Raven from spending time with Kristy ever since the movie incident. They were only allowed to hang out at school for the time being. Abby told Raven to put some space between the incident and asking for permission to hang out with Kristy, and eventually Mike would come around.

She was so wound up she needed to tell someone about Jacob and didn't want to wait until the next day at school. As soon as Kristy said hello, Raven gushed, "Remember that guy Jacob I told you about?"

"Jacob Black from La Push. Yeah, I know who you mean, now that I've been thinking about it. I have seen him. I just always assumed he was way older than us," Kristy remarked.

"He's a about our age. I saw him again today. Guess what? He walked home with me!" Raven excitedly revealed. "Oh... my... gosh Kristy, he's so handsome and muscular and his smile."

Kristy chuckled. "Okay girl, slow down, take a deep breath, and tell me everything."

Ecstatic, Raven told Kristy about Jacob and him asking for her number. "Did you give it to him? Of course, you did. You better have!"

"Not exactly. I took down his number instead, which unfortunately puts me in the awkward position of having to call him first. You think I should? What should I do?"

"You should. You know I would."

"When? Should I call him tonight? Or, is that too soon?"

"Go ahead. Call him tonight. It sounds like he wants you to. Wow, Raven, it's a good thing you met someone, because I was about to hook you up with my brother."

"Not!" Raven cringed, realizing what she'd implied and abruptly rambled, "He's cute and everything, but he's your brother, and you're my best friend, and that kind of thing typically never works out."

Kristy laughed. "Whatever, Raven."

Raven did nothing but think about Jacob for the rest of the day. She waited until Mike fell asleep and hoped it wasn't too late. Nervous, she carefully closed her bedroom door, locked it, and dialed his number.

A man she assumed was Jacob's dad answered the phone.

"Hello, is Jacob there?"

"Jacob, it's for you. It's, uh... I don't know who it is."

"Hey," Jacob greeted with a voice that sounded huskier over the phone.

"It's Raven. I hope it's not too late?"

"Nah, it's just me and my dad around here, so it's okay. I'm glad you called. I was hoping you'd call tonight."

Raven grinned, skipping inside. Determined to plow through the uncomfortable awkwardness she experienced from having to call him, she stated with boldness, "There's a problem with my phone call to you, though."

"Oh, yeah...? What's that?" he asked, sounding amused.

"I really have nothing to talk to you about."

Jacob chuckled, breathy sounding. "Yeah... We'll see about that. You didn't seem to have any problems this afternoon."

Raven rolled her eyes, feeling stupid. "Well, since I already talked your head off once today..." she mumbled with sarcasm.

"It's my turn now," Jacob interjected. She could hear the smile in his tone. "To prove how glad I am, you called, I'll let you off the hook and do the stressing about what to talk about. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough."

Several times during the conversation, she caught herself giggling a little too loudly, and she reminded herself to keep her voice down. Even though Mike and her mom's room was upstairs, she remained uneasy, fearful Mike would somehow catch her on the phone with some supernatural ability he evolved just to continue to make her life miserable.

She found it easy to open up to Jacob, sharing with him how her dad, Reed, had died of leukemia at only thirty-one years old, leaving her young twenty-seven-year-old mother alone with no money and two children to raise. "My brother joined the military as soon as he graduated just to get away from... just to get away. He doesn't come home much."

"Sounds like you miss him."

"I do." Raven said, trying not to sound as sulky as she suddenly felt. Changing the subject, she asked, "What about you. Tell me about your family?"

Raven could hear the sadness in his voice when he talked about how he'd lost his mother in a car accident. The same accident that left his father in a wheelchair. She frowned; sorry she'd even asked.

When he talked about his friends Quil, Embry, and several others in La Push, his mood noticeably lifted. "I can't wait for you to meet them," he stated, then paused as if he thought he'd said something wrong.

"Me, too," Raven agreed, so he wouldn't feel like he'd misspoken. She glanced at her alarm clock. "Um, Jacob, I just realized how late it is. I better go, or I won't want to get up for school in the morning."

"Sure. No problem. Hey, ah... I have some stuff to do tomorrow afternoon, but will you call me again, later on?"

Raven beamed. "Same time tomorrow then," she assured him. She hung up the phone feeling elated and replayed their entire conversation in her mind.

She was in awe of how comfortable he made her feel. He kept his word and did most of the talking, but he got a few things out of her. He even coaxed her into telling him about River. She never talked with anyone about River, not even Kristy. River left so long ago; she didn't know much about his life anymore.

Images of the illustrious big brother, Raven adored with all her heart wafted through her mind as she got ready for bed. She let the memories flow, warming her as she reminisced: She and River playing basketball together, and River playing the guitar while she sang. All the times he took her horseback riding. They'd stay gone all day just to avoid Mike. Protective of her, River took the blame for everything to keep Raven from being spanked. Her memory shifted to the last time he lived with them when she was nine years old.

River joined the Army his senior year, because he always knew it was what he wanted to do after high school. Their father had been trained in Delta Force, and River wanted to be just like him.

Several weeks before River was to go to basic training, he and Mike got into a huge argument. Raven didn't know why. It was probably something tiny. Just one of the many instances Mike lost his temper over nothing. Mike approached River with his leather belt in hand, cracking whips all over River's body.

That day, River justly snapped. He grabbed the belt out of Mike's hand, threw him down, and popped him a few times. Raven sobbed, terrified. River and Mike scuffled for few moments, until River quit hitting him. He stood up, and turned toward Abby, who was screaming for him to stop, and announced. "I'm leaving!"

"That's right! You are!" Mike shouted, "Get the hell out of my house and don't you ever come back here! Disrespectful little bastard."

Raven shivered, remembering how scared she'd been that day. Scared and surprised, because usually River covered up and took it.

He never had to, but he always did to keep Mike from taking anything out on Abby or Raven. Tough and athletic, River had been lifting weights since he was twelve years old, always preparing for Delta Force. He trained in mixed martial arts from the age of seven and was exceptional at it.

After the fight, Raven clasped her arms around River's waist, trying to hold on to him while he attempted to stomp into his bedroom to pack.

"Let go, Raven!"

He took Reed's old Army duffel bag from the closet and began stuffing it with clothes.

"I always knew one day I would lose it on that kid hitting coward, and I'd have to leave," he spouted, his eyes blazing in anger. He wasn't necessarily talking to her.

Tears appeared, not because of the fight with Mike, but because he had to leave Abby and Raven behind, unprotected. "I'll come back for you as soon as I can. When I do, I'll make mom leave him. Promise me you'll always listen to him. I can't stand him spanking you."

She promised him she would, but River never came back.

He wrote to her and Abby occasionally, but rarely called because at first, Mike kept hanging up on him. Raven didn't blame him for not coming home. She knew Abby would never leave Mike. She always acted as if she owed him something. And Raven would never leave Abby. She sniffled, wiped her nose, and tried to fall asleep with tears in her eyes, considering how such initially wonderful memories gravitated toward one of the worst times of her life. She missed River more than he'd ever know.