SOPHIE'S POV

When I finally managed to sneak out of Jacob's grip, I headed out to Paul where I got in the vehicle beside him and waited to be slaughtered verbally.

But he didn't.

"Where were you, Soph? I was worried sick. I told dad you had gone to visit mom." He looked so hurt it killed me.

I hung my head. "I'm so sorry Paul. I thought it was the right thing to do. Ash didn't want me around, or Embry. Jake made it clear that without he imprint he wouldn't want anything to do with me. And you... You were off with Rachel being happy. I thought if I left..." I hesitated. "I don't know what I thought, but I was wrong."

He continued to frown at me. "If you weren't happy, you should have said. Not run off like a child."

"I know."

"You're grounded." He stated.

I opened my mouth and nothing came out. It was fair. I had run away. I had betrayed everyone. And I was still not telling them where I was. What was wrong with me? Why was I so afraid of what they would all think? I suppose part of me knew that they would be mad at me for going to the Cullens for help rather than them. But they deserved to know.

Paul went to turn away and just as I was about to stop him, my body locked. No sound came from my mouth and I watched him walk to his room my mouth still blubbering soundlessly. I knew tomorrow was going to be worse than today. But it was about time I face it all.

I woke the next morning, my nose tingled from the smell of pancakes filling the air. That was strange. I left my room in my pyjamas and waited for the yelling to start. But Paul stayed quiet whilst Rachel sat up at the counter.

"Good morning, sunshine." Paul greeted, monotone.

I shuffled my feet and muttered 'mornin' under my breath before sitting next to Rachel.

"Paul is making chocolate pancakes. You want some?" Rachel smiled. Thank goodness for her I couldnt even begin to describe how much I needed her here to soothe Paul.

"Maybe later." I smiled slightly and got to my feet. "I have to see Jake today."

Paul was instantly blocking my way. "You arent leaving the house without supervision, young lady."

Dammit, I forgot about my grounding. "Paul, I have to." I begged. "He's my imprint and he needs me." That wasn't untrue, but it wasnt the reason I needed to see him. We had to resolve all of this once and for all. And to do that, I had to see him.

His frown was prominent on his face. But finally, he gave in. "Fine, but you will go straight there and come straight back or I will personally hunt you down and lock you in a cellar."

"We have a cellar?" I teased. His expression didn't even flinch. "Okay." I accepted timidly and then swiftly got ready so that I could leave before he changed his mind.

Once I was out the door, I found myself wandering the woods trying to figure out what I was going to say and how he would respond. I had created many situations in my head, but none of them ended the most productive way. I couldn't help but question everything I had learnt and done. I was a fraud and a fool; I should have stayed and faced my demons and not run like a coward.

But it was too late to think like that.

I looked up at Jacobs door, a sudden panic rushing through me. I clearly had been stood there too long since Billy opened the door and tilted his head. "Are you alright?"

"Um." My heart began to create an unrecognisable rhythm. "Yeah, I... uh... I came to talk to Jake."

He gestured me in and began to make his way to Jacobs door, me on his tail trying to steady my breathing before I had a panic attack.

Jake was sitting up in his bed, frowning at a wall as if he were trying to use laser vision to cut through it. Billy left the two of us and as I entered the room, Jacob's head shot to me.

"I wasn't dreaming then." He forced a smile and then flinched.

Rushing to be next to him, I sat on the end of his bed facing him. "No. I just wish I'd got there sooner." No one would be able to resist hating themselves after that tragedy of a rescue.

"I'm alive, and you came back for me. The rest kind of pales in comparison, huh?"

Silence began to fill the room as the two of us shifted in our spots. I took a deep breath, examining his features and how even now I could have thrown myself at him and let him take me and never let me go. But I didn't. "I know you think I ran because I was afraid of myself. And that was part of it. But deep down, I thought..." I swallowed and glanced at him. "I thought being away from you, somehow the imprint would just disappear."

He looked hurt. "You were that desperate to break it?"

I shook my head. "I wanted to break it because I'm a control freak."

"A control freak?" He was clearly not grasping this so I finally just let myself be honest with him.

"You know I always hated being forced to imprint. And you know I hated being controlled by this stupid wolf gene." I began, praying by the end he would understand. "But it was more than that. My whole life I had control of what I did and who I was, and within the space of 10 minutes I couldn't do that anymore. My mood, my emotions, even my hormones, were completely off. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I was shipped off, imprinted, picked on, betrayed, scolded, hit on, all in the space of a few weeks."

I could see him processing what I was saying, but I couldn't tell if he got it. "I don't know who or what I am anymore, and I hate it."

"Soph." He took my hand and our temperatures were slightly different which threw me off. "We all went through that. I just don't get why you didn't say anything."

"Honestly?" His ears pricked up. "You've been kind of an ass. I mean you've been sort of sweet inbetween, but mainly you have been such a jerk. I say that with love."

He frowned. He opened his mouth to respond with something snarky and then stopped. Rethinking his stance, words came out I didnt even contemplate. "I know. I'm sorry. I guess neither of us really know how to handle this imprint thing."

I found myself speaking without any filter. "Well clearly we can't be just friends can we, after the jealousy and the kissing."

He looked at me with surprise. I don't think either of us thought I would be so blatant.

"So what do you want to do?" He asked me that as if I would actually know the answer. If I knew that, I wouldn't have gone through all this drama.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't have gone through all this drama."

He smirked. "We are two idiots with no ideas."

I feigned offense. "I am not idiot, I am simply challenged."

"With what?"

"My brain." We both smiled at each other and I felt the tension roll away.

"Maybe we should try actually going on a date." He suggested.

My whole body froze. "I... I'd love to?"

"I'm not forcing you, this is optional yknow." His teasing made me smile.

"No, I would. Really."

His whole demeanour changed. I could see his smile increasing and his eyes brightening. His sullen face now was slowly rejuvinating. He sat up straight and almost went to get up, until I pressed his shoulders against the wall. "We can wait until you won't collapse."

His frown returned. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." I kissed his cheek. "But that's okay."

I watched him settle back into his bed, a silly smile on his face. "Okay."

Good.