AN: Thank you to serenity1006, Guest, April-Showers82, Anony, and sarahmicaela88 from reviewing. I love reading them, though I am shocked at the negative response to imprinting, but I have to say it's a love/hate thing in our fandom and even I find it creepy at times (*cough, cough* child imprinting). Hopefully, this version of the Twilight universe won't be as strange.

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Chapter Thirty Eight: Friendly Banter.

At the beach, Sam's behaviour continued to worry me. He hovered by Emily and Leah, as they socialised with other seniors who had skipped the prom, looking like a wavering shadow behind them. His gaze couldn't seem to settle or focus; from Emily, to Leah, then to the forest. He looked on edge every time someone drew him into a conversation. I finally decided to intervene, but was distracted by a voice calling for my attention.

"Bella!" I turned to see Jacob jogging over with Embry and Quil trailing behind him. All three boys were dressed in sweaters and jeans in various shades of dark red and brown, the warm colours highlighting the warm smiles on their faces, and without conscious thought, I found myself grinning back.

"Hey Jake." Allowing myself to be tugged into a crushing bear hug, I beat my fist playfully on his back, "Can't breathe!"

"Yeah, Jake, let my woman go!" Embry teased and pulled me into another hug. Most people believed Embry to be a quiet soul, and he was when compared to his two best friends, but he opened up when in good company.

"You're woman? My woman." Quil twirled me around and dumped me on the sand.

"Damn, guys, there's enough of me to go around." I laughed as Jake helped me back up. Dusting myself off, I sent them all a glare, "And be gentle, we're not all monstrous hulks of muscle. What are you, raised by wolves?"

"No, you're just a soft pale face." Quil jested and I narrowed my eyes at him. In return, he mimicked my expression until we both cracked a smile. I'd forgotten how lively and fun it was to be with Jake and his friends.

"When's the food going to be ready? I'm starving." Embry complained, patting his stomach, "I'm going to waste away to nothing."

"You'll have food, when you cook it." I replied pointedly, knowing what his next response would be.

"But Bella, I'm wasting away. I need your good home cooking." He whined and I raised my eyebrows in exacerbation for his cheek.

"Wasting away! Look at all that!" Quil punched Embry's toned stomach, "You need to lose your puppy weight."

"Puppy weight!" A tussle ensued at this remark and Jacob and I quickly jumped back.

Fists were flying and Embry soon wrestled Quil to the ground. As they rolled around throwing punches, Jake extracted my bag from being crushed on their battle ground and I dipped my hand inside to ensure the potato salad container hadn't been damaged. With a sigh of relief, I attempted to close my bag back up, only for Jake to peer in the gap.

"Is that potato salad?" He asked hopefully. At this announcement, Embry and Quil paused in their fighting, expectant expressions on their faces.

"Maybe." Tucking the bag closer to my chest, I watched them warily, "You'll have to wait and see."

"Get her!" Quil yelled and all three boys surrounded me.

I squealed as they proceeded to poke and tickle my sides in an attempt to force me to surrender my bag. Dodging under Embry's arm, I escaped their entrapping encirclement and prepared to run. But, before I could reach more than five steps away from them, was I tackled to the ground. As I tumbled, the tackler pulled me to one side, so he took the brunt of the fall. Huffing a breath on impact, I made sure to elbow the perpetrator as revenge.

"Ow, Bells!" Jake complained in my ear, "Keep your bones to yourself."

"Only if you do." I replied, before blushing at the unintentional innuendo.

"Damn girl, keep it for the bedroom, please!" Quil joked and took the bag from my hands, "Don't spoil our potato salad with your dirty talk. You'll infect us pure angels." Embry and Quil pulled exaggeratedly angelic faces and I felt Jake scoff behind me.

"Pure angels? That's not what you were saying about what you and Jessica were doing last Friday night." Jacob chuckled and I scrunched my nose at the news.

"I do not need to know what happened between you and Jessica!" I complained when Quil opened his mouth to reply.

Quil shrugged and pulled the top off of the food container swiped from my bag. Without hesitation, both Embry and Quil were scooping out potato salad, looking very pleased with themselves. Jacob shifted me off his chest and joined them in their feast. Scowling at the three of them, I heaved myself off the pebbles and sand. As I dusted myself off, I noticed the container was now empty of its contents.

"Animals." I took the container and stowed it back in my bag. Jacob, Embry, and Quil didn't even have the decency to look rebuked. Instead, Jake draped an arm around my shoulders and grinned down at me.

"That was delicious, as always, Bells." He squeezed my shoulder, "There's just never enough."

"I swear you have the appetite of a small army." I muttered.

"Awh, c'mon Bells, don't be like that. You know you love us." In response, I glared back at him. Jake pouted and I couldn't help but laugh at his ridiculous expression.

"You're such a child."

"And that's why you love me."

"Ugh, stop flirting!" Quil shoved Jake's shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, you're going to make me puke!" Embry mimed violently vomiting. I blushed at their comments and shrugged out from under Jake's arm. Looking up at Jake, I noticed his cheeks were a touch reddened too. 'Couple' comments were not rare from Embry and Quil, but it left Jake and I quite embarrassed. Particularly when I already had a boyfriend, which they were just about to be notified about, if Finley hadn't called from the boys to join in the soccer game further down the beach. Waving them off, I went in hunt for Sam, who had disappeared from Leah and Emily's side for the first time this evening, hoping he would reassure me that he was fine after his lapse earlier.