Chapter 6: Friends

Breakfast that morning was about as comfortable as having heart surgery. Dad was talking with Harry Clearwater in the living room when I came downstairs—discussing the fishing trip they had that weekend, probably—but as soon as he saw me he told Harry to wait a minute.

"Good morning, Bella."

"Good morning, Dad. Mr. Clearwater." I waved.

Harry smiled. "Harry is fine."

I smiled back. I wasn't a big on the whole calling an adult by their first name. It felt like a new trend that I was too old-fashioned to enjoy. Like ebooks. There was nothing wrong with it. I simply preferred the old way

Harry was never without a baseball cap, even indoors. It flattened his long graying hair. His torso was wide and long, which made him seem taller but his legs weren't very long. He was the same height as my dad. I knew Harry had two kids but I couldn't remember meeting them—even if my dad was sure he'd had the whole family over for dinner when I had visited during a winter holiday. It was good that my dad had friends. It gave me hope that if a guy could work as much as my dad did and keep friends that I could probably do it too. My mom had always had friends. Moving around as much as we did made her friendships like fireworks. Quick and passionate bursts that fizzled out just as quickly as they'd bloomed. She never had a falling out with any friends. She forgot about them, except to occasionally send them an email or a Christmas card. I wouldn't let my friendships be like that.

Dad followed me into the kitchen. He assured me that I could continue about my morning routine but he needed a short word with me. I got out a bowl and poured cereal.

"Is everything okay?" I asked. "Is that why Harry is here?"

"No, no that's something else," Dad said with a wave behind him. "Wolf sightings. New campers unfamiliar with the woods saying they've seen a wolf as big as a bear. The wolf population is coming close to town again. It happens. Harry wanted to make sure I wasn't worried about it."

"Are you worried about it?"

Dad shook his head. "It's nature. The forest has animals in it. It's not paranormal—it's plain normal! Campers need to get back to living with nature instead of that glam camping stuff. It is glam camping, right? That's the thing where you build a tent-house in the woods with electric lights and heaters?"

I shrugged.

"Working at Newton's has taught you a lot, I see," Dad teased. His hands folded over the back of the kitchen chair.

I crossed my arms and stepped closer to the kitchen table. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Bell." Dad grinned. Crow's feet formed in the edges of his eyes. There were little flecks of grey in his hair, barely noticeable but there. "I was talking to Billy yesterday afternoon." He winked. "I'm proud of you."

I frowned. "For what?"

"For not letting Edward leaving town keep you down," he said.

I turned away immediately and groaned loudly. "Dad! Please. We don't need to talk about this." Again, I mentally groaned.

"Jake is a good kid."

I froze. My hands were in mid-air. My fingers started to curl. Yesterday flashed in my mind. I'd been with Jake in the morning. Dad talked to Billy Black in the afternoon. Now Dad was congratulating me because Jake was a good kid. I turned around.

"Dad." Unless there was a fire in the kitchen, the rapid heat increase was probably my face turning fifty shades of red. It likely started with a slight peach in my cheeks and then gradually becoming a red closer to purple because I was holding my breath. I couldn't think of a way to respond—a calm way to respond.

"Bella." He laughed. His hands left the chair. He patted my shoulder. "He's mature for his age. He'll treat you right."

"Dad. Seriously?" I sat down in a kitchen chair. My stomach closed off. Breakfast was the last thing on my mind now. "Jake and I are friends. Nothing has happened."

"Bella," Dad said, his tone lighter and more serious now. "I know it's none of my business who you date. But I missed a lot of time with you. I'm not blaming anyone, but we spent a lot of your life apart and now that you're around, I want to make up for lost time."

Dad kissed the top of my head. "That includes teasing my teenage daughter whenever I can because I care about who she dates."

"You're weird, Dad." I rolled my eyes and smiled. "But that's fine."

He chuckled. I had to give him this one. He had missed out. I was over it. I could almost forget how little I saw him growing up. Dad hadn't forgotten. He was the only parent I had left. I couldn't have mother-daughter talks about dating anymore. Father-daughter talks about dating were out of my comfort zone—landing somewhere in my embarrassment zone—but it felt good that he wanted to try. I'd lost someone, but thanks to Dad I'd always have family.

To say I spent every minute of that day thinking about tomorrow would be a lie. I spent most of the day trying not to think about it. Making a big deal out of it made it a big deal. I had to approach it calmly. Jake had suggested—not even directly said but suggested—a date. What if the date had no magic for either of us and we decided mutually to be friends? It could happen. Nothing had happened yet for me to worry about. I didn't want to worry. I wanted to be excited.

Angie talked to me on the phone for two hours willingly help me dissect my issue with dating Jacob. That issue was namely my heart being indecisive about what I felt.

"You're not over Edward." Angie stated it so simply. It was aggravating.

"I'm not hung up on Edward." My feet lay on my pillow and my head was at the foot of my bed. I couldn't recall how I ended up that way.

"That's different," Angie argued. "Bella, I'm not saying you can't get over Edward. I'm saying that you can't flip a switch and be done with a person. A whole human person."

I laughed. I snorted when I laughed. Angie was quiet. She wasn't in on the vampire joke. "Sorry. Go on."

"Bella, I know you. You've already made your choice." The sound of a kettle whistling and then the clunking flow of water into a mug made Angie pause. "You just need me to force you to say it out loud."

"Yeah, but I haven't decided if my decision is a good decision," I groaned. I lay my arm over my forehead. "I wish I were in Shakespeare play. I could have a monologue and be done with it."

"I assume you're aiming for a comedy and not a tragedy."

I sat up like I'd been propelled from a slingshot. "That is exactly my problem," I exclaimed. "I was in a tragedy and now I want to change things. I want comedy. I want to end with a wedding—although in Shakespeare the weddings were within days and I'm years away from that—"

"Bella." Angie had tried saying my name a few times to stop me.

I bit my lip.

"You said you were in a tragedy," Angie said. Her voice was low. "You mean past tense because of Edward." She paused.

I didn't answer.

"Am I right?" she demanded. "I knew things were weird."

"Edward was a forever kind of guy," I confessed. "I guess you could call him old-fashioned. He saw us together forever."

"You didn't get a choice," Angie finished for me. "Is that why?"

"Why what?" My bed crunched and wiggled as I switched my body around the right way. My window was open. It was raining, lighter than dewdrops so that I could only hear the sound if I listened closely. The pavement would dry within the hour.

"Jacob," Angie said. "You don't want to decide on forever."

I didn't have to answer that. What teenage girl is ready for forever? It sounds nice—forever—and I definitely had a romantic side to me, but… My mind raced again to that scenario: Rumours in a small town fly on the wind and sooner or later Edward would know. He'd think I'd closed that door to our forever. I had said goodbye because I believed—no, I knew—that was best. It made me uneasy that it would be goodbye forever. When I said goodbye I imagined that I might run into Edward fifty or sixty years from now. He'd look like a sun-weary movie star and I'd be old. We might part on good terms and maybe he'd be impressed by how well I'd done. Thinking about Edward hearing how I'd started dating Jacob Black barely a month after our breakup, Edward would never want to see me again. It would be an insult. If he found out that imagined reunion would never happen. It made me sad.

"You worry too much." Angie's voice remained quiet and soothing. "I know you don't want to lose Jacob if it turns out he wants more and you changed your mind. Here's the truth. You won't lose him. He's your friend, right?"

I nodded. Why were my eyes wet? God, suck it up, Swan. "Yeah."

"Then he'll be your friend this is done," she assured me. "Ignore what I said yesterday. I'm smarter today."

I laughed sharply once.

"Trust me." Ruffling and the sound of plastic rubbed against clothing. "I gave you a hug just now."

"Thanks. Back at you."

"Whatever happens, we can talk about it," Angie promised. "We'll fix it if it turns out bad. But it won't turn out bad! It will be good. You'll be good. You and Jacob."

I nodded again. I had to stop doing that when I was on the phone. "Yeah. Angie, you're the best."

There was no sound for a moment. "I just nodded," she said with a laugh.

"I've done that at least twice now."

"Great minds think alike," Angie said cheerfully.

"And fools seldom differ," I finished.

"Are you calling me a fool?" Angie's mock-angry voice was the least threatening I'd ever heard. She was terrible at being angry—less so when she was only pretending.

"Only myself, my friend," I assured her in my best Shakespearean inflection. "Only myself."

At nine o'clock that night I knew it was going to be a sleepless night. My heart was already rebelling against rest. Its rhythm was unsteady. I had tried to be still. I had failed. I lay down. The bed was too soft. I got up. I tried to distract myself with funny home videos. I heard myself laugh and that ended the distraction. I was returned to reality. I pulled a book from my shelf. As much as I loved these books of mine, I had read them before. Their familiarity should have been a comfort but it wasn't enough to keep my mind from wandering.

Enough.

I wasn't going to have my eyes wide all night pondering in terror what tomorrow might bring. I'd stood up to Edward and made him listen to me. I'd faced vampires. I could face my best friend. And I didn't have to wait to do exactly that.

I texted Jacob with a simple message to start off polite. Dude.

Okay it wasn't brilliant, but I wanted to feign calm. I wanted to put Jake at ease. I wanted to trick him into revealing himself so I could confront him. Let's see a fool do that!

The response came within a few minutes. Dude?

My fingers moved at Superman speed. Where are you?

A minute later he responded with two words: Home. Why?

I dialed his number. I breathed in and out deeply a few times to calm my breath. The last thing I wanted was Jacob to ask why I was calling him while running a marathon.

He picked up after a few rings. "Hi." He was alarmed. He spoke quietly. "You got something to say, I take it?"

"I'm just going to come out and say it because I haven't made a plan about what to say so I guess that's the only thing I can do. Say it." I took a deep breath.

"Okay." He was more worried than before. He closed a door. He had probably retreated to his room. Maybe he considered barricading it.

"About tomorrow," I said.

"Oh." He exhaled the sound. He didn't sound worried anymore. He sounded defeated. "You want to make sure we stick to the friends thing. I get it."

"Jake."

"It was a dumb move," he spoke louder now. He didn't want me to interrupt. "You and that Cullen just broke up. The last thing you want is me…you know…whatever. Don't worry about it. Everything will go back to normal tomorrow."

"JACOB BLACK."

"Isabella Swan," he said tiredly.

"If you assume you make an ass out of you and me," I said confidently.

"I have heard that before."

I caught my reflection in my mirror. I had a hand on my hip and my legs spread. I rearranged myself and ran a brush through my hair. He might not be able to see me now but I could. Looking good was going to help me talk good. Maybe.

"I admit I said sure yesterday without thinking and I did panic, but I'm not calling because I don't want to go out with you. I do."

I bit my lip. I waited. There was silence. I fluffed my hair in the mirror. How was it flat only on one side? When had I been leaning against that side of my head?

"You do?" Jake laughed nervously. "I was kind of waiting for you to text me that you changed your mind or maybe not show up tomorrow. Say you had a cold, maybe."

"Seriously, Jake, you think I'm the kind of girl to not show up?" I snorted. "Well now I am thinking I might stay home tomorrow."

"Don't joke about this," Jake said breathlessly. "I might have a heart attack." He laughed again. He sounded a little giddy—nervous, but giddy.

I sat down on the edge of my bed facing the window. The rain had stopped. It was going to be a clear night. "Now comes the serious part."

"That wasn't the serious part?" Jake made an exaggerated gulping sound. "Be easy on me. I'm recovering from an almost heart attack."

"Shut up." It was hard not to laugh. "I'm being serious."

He laughed. He'd recovered.

"I'm worried," I confessed. "If things don't work out—you know, us being more than friends—that it would be hard for us to be friends. I would hate that."

A pause. My words were written across both our minds. Jake and I read them together.

"Same," Jake agreed. "I like having you around."

I exhaled loud enough for the phone to pick it up.

"Let's make a pact," he proposed. "Please don't think I'm any less macho, but I've been thinking about this too."

I laughed and shook my head. "Jake, you are the most macho of the macho men."

"That felt sarcastic, but I'll roll with it. My point is that I don't think it's good for either of us if tomorrow happens." He paused. He let his words press into me. "Let's make tomorrow tonight."

I stood. I almost shouted—but it was after nine o'clock and Dad was probably getting ready for bed. Instead I forced myself to sit back down and whisper. "I am not going along with this."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. That should be enough time for you to be ready, right?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He was gone. I sat with my phone. I stared at the screen for a minute checking if he had really hung up. Now I had a choice to make: tell Dad or sneak out?

If I told Dad I was going out with Jake he might give me a thumbs up. It was summer. I didn't have school the next day. I was seventeen! I could stay up past midnight. It was a small town—no big city dangers. A wolf sighting might be scary, but I had a macho man with me. Surely Dad would be okay with it?

On the other hand, Jake was sixteen and admittedly seventeen did not an adult make. We were teenagers. Doubtless Dad had dealt with more than his share of rowdy teenagers out late. I think I remembered a couple shouting that they were Bonnie and Clyde racing through the streets with their heads out the car windows. A wolf sighting would absolutely make Dad less likely to let me leave the house with sunset approaching.

Or there was always the third option. I could compromise.

With less than half an hour to get ready I would have to do my best Alice impression. My best summery dresses were thrown on my bed in seconds. I eliminated three blue dresses. (Blue was his favourite colour on me.) It was night, or it would be soon, so the floral pale pink was placed on top of the blue pile. I considered the white dress with the eyelet lace neck but since Jake spent most of his time as a grease monkey I decided white was not an option. With few option lefts, I took a risk by ignoring the dresses. I put on a cherry red mid-thigh length skirt with flare. I put on my faded dark jean shirt and rolled the sleeves above the elbow. I buttoned the sleeves into place. I flattened the collar and popped open the top two buttons. I latched my radiating sun pendant around my neck. I stood in front of the mirror and flicked mascara on my lashes. The hair stumped me. I mimed a few styles. My twenty minutes were down by half already. This was not the time to try anything difficult or time consuming. I separated out a thick enough section and began braiding carefully. The rest I gathered and twisted into a messy bun. I pined my headband braid in place and then went to my earring rack. I stabbed my gold round studs into my ears—almost literally, but thankfully no blood was drawn; I only let loose a muffled yelp. I did a few turns in front of my mirror. The hair wasn't perfect, but it was summery and kinda cute. Make-up was minimal. Admittedly that was my style, but I tended to go heavier on special occasions. The outfit was cute but not the ideal date outfit. The skirt could be good with the right top. I was second-guessing my choices. If I had more time…but I didn't! My phone buzzed. I scrambled across my bed to where I'd left my phone.

I'm outside. Jake had given me a grand total of twenty-two minutes.

Two minutes, I texted back. It was hard to believe Jake had a sister when he thought a measly twenty-two minutes was enough.

I grabbed a small star-spangled purse and threw the essential inside—including my cellphone, forty bucks, and lip balm. All that was left was to knock on Dad's door.

I knocked. I cracked the door open. Dad had his uniform on. Here I'd been hoping he'd be under the covers and unable to pursue me if I had to run.

"Hey, Dad."

He blinked. "Hey. You look pretty."

"Thanks—"

"You know it's almost ten o'clock."

"Yeah." I smiled, showing all my teeth. "Jacob is here. We're going out." I pulled the door closed.

"Wait a minute!" he shouted from behind the door.

I was halfway down the hall by the time he'd opened the door. I stopped when I heard him behind me. I turned around.

"Bella, it's almost ten o'clock," he argued. His cheeks were prickled with fresh growth. His eyes were heavy.

"I'm seventeen and it's summer," I said. I placed my arms on my waist and kept a straight face. "I'm only going out with Jake. We won't go near the woods so no wolves will be in our way. We'll keep to safe, well-lit areas. I have my phone. It's charged."

Dad blinked. He blinked twice more. "Okay." He nodded. "Okay." He raised a hand and pointed a finger. "This is a test, Bella. I'm willing to try this, but you have to respect this privilege. You tell Jacob that if you aren't in your bedroom—alone—by one o'clock that not only will I ground you, I'll have to have words with him."

I nodded. Dad could be threatening when he wanted to be. With his posture still and his finger pointed at me I felt sorry for any criminals who crossed him.

"I promise to be back by one." I ran across the hall and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. Goodnight."

"We can say goodnight when you're back," Dad insisted.

"You can go to sleep. I'll be fine."

Dad put his finger down. He wasn't going to sleep. I smiled nervously and nodded to acknowledge his choice.

My two minutes were gone. I took the stairs two at a time. I closed the door quietly behind me. I faced the wood for a few seconds trying to catch my breath. I understood Jake's theory—that since we weren't waiting for tomorrow to come we weren't wasting time worrying—but put into practice I found that my nervousness hadn't lessened. I kept my eyes down and walked down the driveway. I only looked up when I was right beside him.

The sun was touching the ground and melting into a puddle of gold. There was more red than orange. The air was cool from the earlier rain, but the lingering light patches made my face warm. I admit that I found motorcycles deplorable and reckless, but Jake sitting on one during sun set was kind of awesome. Not the way a back flip or a good grade on a test is awesome. I was stunned into smiling stupidly at him. I was in awe. There was a flutter at the bottom of my ribcage. My heart and my stomach met, and they trembled.

"Wow, Bella." Jake had his hair tied back. He wore jeans and a black tank. He didn't have a single grease spot. "You look…really." His open palm addressed me as his eyes bashfully looked over me.

"You look really too."

We laughed in unison. Yes, our nervous levels were high, but at least we were synchronized. I tried to tuck my hair behind my ear—but alas my hair was up so it was a pointless nervous gesture. Jake cleared his throat to clear the air.

"My reason for rushing over here was so we wouldn't have to think about it," Jake said, "but I also forgot to think about your motorcycle phobia."

I crossed my arms. "Motorcycle phobia? Excuse me but my opinion is based on fact not fear."

"How can you form an opinion about something you've never tried?" Jake patted the space behind him.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to fall for that."

"If you're not afraid, then what's holding you back, chicken?" He wagged his eyebrows at me. "Do you trust me?" He held out his hand.

My cheeks warmed. The sun's rays were all but gone. I'd lost my excuse. This was me blushing. "Did you steal that from Aladdin?"

He dropped his hand and shrugged. He couldn't look me in the eye. "It was my favourite movie as a kid," he mumbled. "I panicked."

"Put your hand back out, Prince Ali," I said. "I'm going to need all the help I can get if I'm getting on this monster."

Jake put his hand out again. I swung my leg over and used his arm as both physical and moral support. This was such a betrayal of Dad's trust. He'd agreed to let me go out without much of a fuss. He was also the guy who taught me the horrors of motorcycle wreckage. He'd told me enough stories. He'd made me promise when I was a tot that I'd never let a boy get me on a motorcycle. Dad was going to ground me even if Jake brought me home on time.

I thought the whole wrapping my arms around Jake's waist might be awkward, but once I heard the motor there was no awkwardness. I definitely started praying. I almost crossed myself, but I was afraid to let go. At least I'd die with no regrets.

"Ready?"

I double-checked my helmet strap. "Do we have to go far?"

"Not far." Jake's skin was warm. His shirt was thin and I could feel his heat in my hands and along my arms. His back was pressed against my chest. For a second I wondered if he'd noticed any of this—but honestly I had started to shiver in terror and I was glad for the warmth.

"Please drive carefully!"

His laugh was too quiet to hear over the motor, but I felt it. He patted my hand. "I'll be good," he promised.

The machine launched forward. I admit I did shout "Oh my God" plus a word that wasn't very classy. Let the record show that I knew I'd ridden something faster than a motorcycle. I'd been on some mean roller-coasters before. I loved roller-coasters. That was a thrill I would gladly repeat. The difference that terrified me wasn't speed. It was the distance between my body and the road. It was the fact that there wasn't a seatbelt or a bar strapping me in place. There was no set track. It wasn't a precisely programmed machine driving me. It was a totally human driver on a machine. It was those differences that made my blood like ice. I don't think I took more than one breath until Jake finally, finally stopped.

"That wasn't so bad, right?"

Jake didn't move. I couldn't move. I closed my eyes and took a moment to regain my breath.

"Bella?"

I opened my eyes. My blood was beginning to thaw.

"…Bella?" He said it quieter this time.

I wiggled my fingers. Thank God. They moved. I brought my hands back. "That was terrifying."

"Oh."

"That was definitely the second most terrifying moment of my life," I said. I shivered as I tried desperately not to remember the most terrifying moment.

Riding a motorcycle should've been the winner. This was the life I was supposed to have. It was comforting, despite my jittery legs, to feel this moment. I was a little grateful that I was back on track being a normal Forks girl. But I still hated motorcycles.

With great caution—because of jittery legs—I wobbled off the seat. My feet planted on with a satisfying crunch of gravel.

My eyes had been locked forward and blinded by terror for most of the journey, but I now that we were stopped I recognized La Push beach. Admittedly there hadn't been much time to plan, but I wasn't sure why this location. I wasn't expecting a picnic on the beach, but I had been secretly hoping for something. This didn't feel like something. Yet.

"I'm feeling that that shock to my system was worth it." My voice came out sharp. With my arms crossed and my body positioned decidedly away from Jake and his monster machine, I probably wasn't sending off the best date signals.

"I'll do my best to fix that," Jake said. His voice was cheery. He was choosing to ignore my crossness.

Jake dismounted. He went to the bike of the bike and opened the pouch mounted at the back. He discreetly took out something small and hid it behind his back. I furrowed a brow.

"You'll see," he promised.

He jerked his head toward the beach. Now I was curious.

We walked side by side down to the beach. Sand wriggled inside my shoes and between my toes. The sun was gone and the moon had risen. It was a waxing moon, barely more than a crescent. When was the last time I had looked at a moon? I was sure it had been full that last time I saw it through my window. The clouds too often blocked it out. Tonight even the stars prickled clearly above. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe I believed in signs.

"Stroll in the moonlight," I said. "Not bad."

"I would've gone for a brighter moon, but I can't control the moon," Jake said with a shrug. He still had one hand behind his back.

"When does the big reveal come?"

"When it comes."

"I'm kind of impressed it's empty." I gestured to the beach. Not another soul in sight.

"It's early." Jake smirked. "But the big reveal we're headed for is a little more secluded."

I nodded absently. We continued in the same direction. The waves were on our right now. We were running out of beach. Jake seemed to be leading us toward the smaller pools, or maybe the forest. It seemed like a dangerous choice considering the wolf sightings, but Jake had a plan and I wasn't going to ruin it.

"My dad is not going to be happy that I got on that bike." I looked back at where it was parked. There was no way Dad had missed our exit.

"I think I was already on his good side," Jake reasoned. "I'll figure a way to get back there."

"Oh, Jake, you haven't heard one of his anti-motorcycle speeches," I warned. My eyes were wide. I pressed my palms to my cheeks. "He can go on for hours. He has stories that have created nightmares. I swear my dad has talked to me about motorcycles more than any other thing we've every talked about. More than fishing."

Jake hesitated half a step. He scratched his head. "I guess I'll have to be good for a while."

I laughed. "Be good for a while?" I let myself walk a little closer. "I didn't realize you could be bad."

Jake blushed. His pace slowed. His gaze traced the ground ahead of us. "Not bad," he said quietly. "I know my dad has called every one of my sister's boyfriends a troublemaker or he told them he'd be watching them, even when they seemed like alright guys. I thought your dad might be the same." He took his hand from behind his back, his fist closed loosely, concealing something. "It's hard to let your daughter be close to a guy who's into her." He looked up. He smiled sweetly, his eyes meeting mine. "I was really happy when you started coming to see me." He paused. He didn't break eye contact. "I know I'm a dork to admit this, but for a while now I really wanted to be closer."

I stopped. I watched the water lapping forward. The night felt so cold now that my face was flushed red.

Jake kicked the sand. "Could you pretend that I said something else? Something cooler. I think I'm doing this wrong."

I stared at his feet. "I honestly don't think there is a right way." I raised my head and took a step closer. "But this is fine."

He nodded once. "Okay."

I nodded too. The world silently waited. One of us had to make a move. I took a breath. I took Jake's hand.

"Okay, so let's see whatever this thing is you're showing me." My grip wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be. But my nervousness was weakening me.

Jake did me the favour of accepting my lousy grip and fixing it with his own strong hand. His hand holding mine made me feel safe, even as he led my through the tree line.

We walked through a row of trees, around roots, and low bushes. The leaves blocked out most of the moonlight. Everything was covered in moss, bright even in the dark. Jake knew the path. I watched my feet and only tripped once. I stepped on a twig or two. Jake had no trouble. He brought us through another row of trees. It was instantly brighter.

There was an opening. The trees formed an imperfect semi-circle. The clearing wasn't large, but it did lead to a short beach. The water was shallow for some ways. I could've walked out for a while with the water going no higher than my ankles. There were small deeper pools scattered. Shells gathered in pockets of waved sand. I don't think I'd ever seen so many shells. I wasn't very knowledgeable in marine life, but something like small black clamshells were the most interesting of the collection. The ones that were open had a pale, shiny inside that caught the light. Seeing them brought out my inner child. I want to scoop down and start collecting. I restrained myself only because I had limited pocket space and, honestly, what would I do with a bunch of shells? I collected books. I had no shelving space left.

"This." I gestured out to the shallows. "Officially best first date location."

Jake laughed nervously. "I'm off to a good start, then?"

I grinned. "Very."

I decided to embrace the moment. I took off my shoes and waded out. I went as far as I could before the water rose above my ankles. A few finned fiends swam by me. I tried not to accidentally caress any scales. A few shells got trapped underfoot and I was worried I might have crushed a few snail homes. I walked back and rinsed the sand off my feet by swishing my toes around in the water before stepping back into my shoes.

"For a book worm, you're awfully adventurous," Jake teased.

"Shut up," I laughed. "I like wandering in short, small bursts."

"You're a funny girl, Bella." He shook his head at me.

I took the ends of my skirt and curtsied. "Why thank you, sir."

Jake kicked a small wave at my legs. I scrambled away instinctively, but instead of avoiding the water I got my shoes wet. Jake laughed at me. Maybe another girl might worry about damaging her shoes, but I wasn't worried about a little water. Too bad Alice wouldn't be around anymore to suggest replacement shoes if my beach nights became more frequent.

Jake approached and took my hand. He opened his fisted hand and dropped something on my palm.

"The big reveal." Jake stepped back. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

In my hand was a small wooden figure. My fingertips traced the carved wood, the indents the curves, and the scratches. The surface had been marked to look like feathers. The long neck seemed strong, but so graceful too. The wooden figure was a swan.

"I was thinking about you, and this came out of the wood," Jake explained.

My jaw dropped. I propped the small swan up in my hand and raised it. "You made this?"

He nodded.

"Jake, this is amazing!" My voice was louder than I had intended.

"If the wolves didn't know where we were before…" Jake teased.

"Seriously, Jacob." I stroked the neck again. "I didn't know you could do this. How is it you have the genius mechanic side and then this artistic side too?"

"Wow." His eyes were wide. "An artist. That doesn't fit with my image at all. You're going to ruin my cool mechanic reputation."

"Jake." I frowned at him. "You carved this amazing swan out of wood. There are feathers!"

"I figured it's a bird. It ought to have feathers." He shrugged. He grinned.

I shook my head. "This is beautiful. I can't believe you made this for me." I frowned. "What were you going to do with this if I didn't turn up for our date?" I narrowed my eyes. "Was this going to be some Native voodoo swan?"

Jake snorted. "Native voodoo swan? And I thought my school sucked. Yours is teaching you weird stuff."

"If you're going to carve me wooden birds," I said, "I'll need to make some shelf space." I weighed the swan in my hand. It was light. With the wings spread, I could imagine it flying out of my hand.

"Who says I'm carving you birds?" Jake crossed his arms.

"Birds, four-legged animals, unicorns, whatever. After this I'm not sure the second date will be as impressive as the first."

Jake's mocking grin faltered. "Are you saying I've earned a second date?"

"Obviously." Uselessly I tried to tuck my hair behind my ears. I could feel frizzy spots where the helmet had tarnished my braid-band. "I'm not sure I've done anything to earn a second yet. Apparently I'm not adventurous enough."

Jake rushed forward. "You've earned a second date." He hugged me tightly. He let me go. His hands lingered on my arms.

"It's because I was ready in twenty-minutes, right?" I smirked. "I even impressed myself."

He frowned. "I didn't think about that. My sister never takes less than an hour to get ready." He paused. He smiled apologetically. "I guess I rushed you."

I waved away the apology. "Don't worry about it."

"You're beautiful, Bella," he said softly.

I bit my lip and shook my head. Compliments were difficult to respond to. I felt so warm, so happy. I said the only two words I could think of. "Thank you." I rubbed my thumb over the swan's wing. I tilted my chin down hoping to hide the blush.

"So." Jake cleared his throat.

"So?"

Jake's hand held the back of his neck. "On a scale of one to ten, this date was somewhere in the good range?"

"At least a seven."

His eyes popped. "Seven? That low?"

"Seven is good." I put a hand on my hip.

He gawked. He shook his head. "That's low. I was hoping for at least an eight. Maybe nine." He crossed his arms. "What do I have to do to raise the score?"

A breeze threaded through the trees making some dangling leaves quiver. Loose wisps of my hair tickled my face. I tried wiping them back but the wind pulled them forward again. The wind was cool, but not cold. It carried the fresh scent of the near water, with small hints of dampened soil and sand. The quiet made me forget how close we were to the humans living nearby.

I shrugged my right shoulder. "You could try serenading."

"Ha. No." He narrowed his eyes. "I don't sing."

"Neither do I."

Jake shifted his weight from heel to toe. Back and forth.

"Since it matter so much to you, I'll give you an eight." I held up the swan. "This is pretty incredible."

He held up his palm. "No pity points. I'm trying to charm you."

"Charm me?" I pressed my lips together. How quaint—charm—but it was sweet. It would be rude to laugh.

Jake nodded. "I'm not going to mess this up," he promised. He came close enough to touch. "Bella, I'm serious about you. I know it's not cool to admit that on a first date, but that's how a feel."

I clutched the wooden swan with one hand and touched his arm with the other. "Cool or not, I'm not going to be offended that you care about me. I'm serious about giving this a try." I frowned and bowed my head. "Since you're being honest with me, I'm going to be honest too. I like you, Jacob."

Jake grinned. "I might not be an eight for you, but you're a full ten out of ten for me, Bella."

Jake touched my cheek. His warm touch softly fell down to my neck. He leaned in. He touched his forehead to mine. He exhaled shakily. I closed my eyes and he kissed me. It was short, a peck really, but the feeling was unmistakable. Jake drew away. I didn't open my eyes.

"Okay," I whispered. "I was wrong. That's a nine for sure." I opened my eyes.

Jake was blushing.

AUTHOR: Uploading had become extremely glitchy for me. I've tried no less than ten times to upload this chapter over the span of a week. GAH! Well, finally. Hopefully next time will be easier. Sorry for the wait. (This time it was not my fault.)

Review, please! Thank you.