Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. of Twilight are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I am in no way associated with Stephenie Meyer, any creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.
Some descriptions of characters that previously existed have been altered to fit the vision of this story. If you are interested in viewing the character reference photos, please view my Pinterest Board (/clairebear_04/like-breathing-but-harder/).
Chapter 3: Claire
Harley surprised us all the next morning, waking up as sober as a button. She was actually the one to bang on our door, singing that coffee was ready in the kitchen.
"Mmf," Quil groaned, rolling over as he draped one arm across my chest. "Sometimes the wolf powers are a curse...I've heard her banging around in there for an hour," he groaned.
As far as the ceremony went, it was just about what I expected. All dolled up just to walk on a stage, grab a piece of paper, and briskly leave so you could kick the damn shoes off your feet.
My college went first, with Harley and Austin's after mine. I was the first to run out of the stadium, peeling my shoes off as soon as I could- I felt a blister beginning to form on my left heel. As soon as I made it outside I felt two arms wrap around me, picking me up off the ground.
"Congratulations!" Jake hollered. "You're officially, legally smarter than all of us, Clairebear" he joked, setting me down.
I rolled my eyes and laughed as I turned around to give him a hug. "Oh sure, all the knowledge of how to handle toddlers totally makes me superior."
"We'd have to see how these two handle a room full of toddlers all by themselves," Ness chuckled motioning to Jake and Quil. "I bet they would quickly agree that you're superior!" She was next to wrap me in a hug. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered in our embrace.
Ness was almost the same age as me. Her family guessed it would be any year now that she would officially stop growing, the vampire part forever preserving her as she was now. When I started college, I assumed that she would too, but I quickly found out that she was putting it off till later. "When you have eternity," she said, "I guess you realize you shouldn't do everything at once."
Quil moved closer to me as Ness joined Jake and he planted a kiss on my lips. "Congrats," he said, smiling widely. Just like the other boys, he never went out of the way to dress up for an occasion. But today he wore a button-up shirt the sleeves roll up to his elbows, keeping the top button undone to provide me a glimpse of what was underneath. I could smell the leather scent again, mixed with his usual woodsy scent.
"Oh, Claire," I heard behind him.
Quil shifted out of the way and revealed Emily and Sam, who were both grinning. I rushed forward and hugged Emily, my heart overflowing. It had been a while since I had been home. They respected my wishes of wanting to live on campus instead of with them while through school, even though Em constantly told me how much she and Sam missed having me around. "Oh, honey," she said, pulling back and cupping my face in her hands. "Your mom would be so proud of you," the tears started to well up in her eyes.
Sam placed his hand on her shoulder. "We're both so proud of you, Claire," he said, stepping in to try to combat the inevitable. Just as my eyes started to fill as well Sam took me in his arms, hugging me tightly.
"We wanted to give this to you," Em held up a small box wrapped in a bow. I handed Quil my exaggerated piece of paper and took the box in my hands, pulling at the ribbon. "Your mom would have wanted you to have it," she said as Sam wrapped his arm around her.
Inside the box was a thick band of antique silver. The flourishes and details carved into it reminded me of small flowers that Mom and I used to pick along the La Push beach.
"Your father got that for your mom when they dated," Em said. "It was one of the few things that meant a lot to her."
My heart trembled in my chest, causing the air to hitch in my throat. For a moment, I saw their faces again. Mom's jet black hair that framed her cheeks, Dad's green eyes. I took the ring out of the box and slid it onto my right thumb, admiring it. "It's beautiful," I said. Quil wrapped his arm around me, holding me against his chest.
"Claire! C'mon!" Harley shouted over the crowds of families around us. "I want pictures!"
It probably would have taken all of Quil's strength to pry me out of Harley's grip as we said goodbye. Our cars packed to the brim with our belongings, she was getting ready to move back home to Seattle where her dad got her a job as a copywriter for his marketing firm. I was heading back to La Push to move in with Quil. Every time I thought about it in my head, my heart and stomach would summersault.
Sam did not like discussing the idea of me and Quil moving in together. It wasn't that he didn't like Quil, it was that I was practically his daughter. And no matter how old I got, he would always see me as the 8-year-old girl that came into his life.
Quil loaded up the last couple of boxes into his truck while Harley and I danced around the subject of parting ways.
"I want you to call me as soon as you get in," Harley said. "Promise me you'll text me every day?" She batted her big eyes at me.
I chuckled. "Yes, I promise, I'll keep in touch."
"You too," she glared at Austin. "You turn into a hermit as soon as I don't check in on you. Don't make me turn on my mom-mode."
He raised his hands out of his pockets. "Alright, alright, I'll keep a daily diary just for you and send you a page a day."
"Such a smart-ass," Harley rolled her eyes, smiling. She stood up on her tiptoes to give him a hug.
"That's why you love me," he quipped as she pulled away from him.
She hugged me for the millionth time, pressing her cheek against mine. "I love you, Claire," she whispered in my ear.
"I love you too, Harley," I said back. The lump in my throat came back as she squeezed me. "You be safe out there," I murmured.
Pulling away from me, she smiled, a tear streaming down her face. She clutched my hands before turning back to her car, Andrew waiting inside. As they drove off, she waved at me from the passenger window, wiping another tear from her cheek.
Quil leaned up against the truck, indicating that all of my junk was packed in the small pickup one way or another.
"So are you going to nag me about keeping in touch too?" Austin said, stepping in view between Quil and me.
"No, but you know she really will kick your ass if you don't text her at least once a week." I wasn't kidding either.
He chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah I know."
"Let me know how things are going for you up there, you know, when you get a job and everything," I said, shoving my hands in my back pockets.
He nodded. "Will do, boss."
I grinned and wrapped my arms around his midsection. He engulfed my shoulders and head into his embrace. "I'm going to miss you," he said quietly. Even though it was barely a whisper, I knew Quil would still hear it.
"Be careful," I said, the first to pull away.
"You too," He slid his hands in his front pockets and backed away.
I climbed into the front seat, Quil now waiting in the driver's side. He started up the truck and began to pull away. I gazed out the dirty window, taking the imagery in one last time. Austin stared back at me, surely thinking I was staring at him, but all I could regard was the concrete porch where Harley and I drank wine on the porch swing the first night we moved in. The front door that was slammed every time Harley and Andrew got in a fight. My window with the ledge on the first floor that Quil snuck into countless times late in the night. The side door to the kitchen where Austin and Harley would bake pizza rolls. The chipping, white paint that revealed the rotting wood framing. Quil turned at the first intersection, and the house was gone from sight.