"I'm worried about Bella," I muttered, barely looking up from the ground in Jacob's garage. He was working on the red motorcycle, that was looking more like a bike than just scraps of metal. It surprised me how much progress Jacob had made in three days time; that only made Jacob glow with glee.

Bella had dropped me off at Jacob's before claiming that she had something to do back at the house. She told both of us that she would be back within the hour, but I couldn't help but think that she wasn't actually going to the house.

"Is she not getting better?" Jacob asked, looking at me from the corner of his eyes.

"I keep thinking that she is, but then she goes back into the zombie-like state. I don't know what to do to help her." I pursed my lips in thought.

"All we can do is be there for her," he answered, placing down the wrench. He looked over his shoulder before turning back to me, "Would you mind grabbing me a 3/8 socket?" He pointed to his tool box in the corner.

I rolled my eyes with a smile on my face, "Why not?" I heard him laugh behind me as I grabbed the exact socket that he asked for. I walked back over to him sitting on the ground before handing the socket to him. "What are you doing now?" I asked, squatting down.

"I'm putting the breaks back together," he answered, while twisting and turning his hand professionally around the bike's parts. "Want to help?" he asked, jokingly.

"I wouldn't know where to start," I confessed, getting more comfortable on the ground next to him.

"Want me to show you?" he asked, with an excited smile, gracing his face.

That's how Bella walked in on Jacob and I. He was trying to show me how to put the pieces back on the bike, but I kept putting them on backwards and sideways. Jacob couldn't stop laughing at my many attempts to put the bolt back in the hole, while I scowled at the bike.

"Here, let me." He grabbed my hand before moving it in the right direction- totally opposite way that I was going- before helping me tighten the bolt. "See? Easy." He winked down at me, jokingly. I felt my throat tighten up as my heart started thumping in my rib cage. He was a lot more attractive up close. I could see that his dark eyes, actually had hazel flecks hidden in them. His cheekbones were a lot more defined that I remembered, also.

I cleared my throat before leaning back, letting him complete the bike.

He paused in his movements before looking back at me with unreadable eyes. "Jules, if I told you and Bella that I wouldn't be able to fix these bikes, what would you say?"

I bit my lip at his suddenly serious question. "Well, I came over your house without any knowledge of the bikes in the first place. So, we'd find something else to do; like watch TV or fix the Rabbit," I answered as truthfully as I could. Even though, I've only been hanging out with Jacob for a couple days, I couldn't imagine how my weekend would have gone if we didn't come over his house.

He smiled back at me, but just as he was going to open his mouth to reply, Bella's voice cut him off, "Hey, sorry, I'm late," she muttered walking into the garage, taking off her hood. It was at that time that I started hearing the slight patter of rain on the garage roof. I didn't even realize it started raining.

"Hey," Jacob grinned before gesturing towards the bikes, our conversation from before forgotten. "Ta-duh!"

"Jacob, you're amazing!" Bella smiled down at the bikes.

And just like that, the serious atmosphere from before vanished. I relaxed on the floor as I continued to watch Jacob work, and Bella become herself again.

"Wednesday we should do something non-mechanical," Bella said, breaking the silence between us.

Jacob grinned at the thought, "Like what?"

"I have no idea," Bella admitted, making Jacob and I laugh.

"What about if we go back to our house," I pointed between Bella and I, "and maybe watch a movie?"

"You could bring your schoolwork- you have to be getting behind, because I know I am," Bella added.

"Homework might be a good idea," he agreed, making a face.

"We'll have to show that we're somewhat responsible to Dad and Billy- or else they might not be so easygoing about this," I made a circle with my hand, indicating the three of us as one.

Jacob beamed before continuing, "Homework once a week?"

"Maybe we'd better go with twice," Bella suggested. She made a similar face that Jacob did earlier, probably thinking about the homework that she had backed up. Even I had a bunch of homework that I needed to get done.

Jacob sighed heavily before he reached over his toolbox to a paper grocery sack. He pulled out three cans of Coke, cracking each of them open before handing two to Bella and I.

"Here's to responsibility," he toasted. "Twice a week."

"Recklessness every day in between," Bella added.

"And good times to come," I ended.

We all grinned before clinking our drinks together.

Dad had ordered a pizza before Bella and I got home. Bella tried apologizing, but Dad just shook her off. "I don't mind," he had said. "You both deserve a break from all the cooking, anyway."

I knew that he was just glad Bella was coming out of her shell, because I've only cooked once since I've gotten here. Though, I did agree with him, Bella deserved a break from cooking. I decided that I will cook more often, giving Bella a break away from the kitchen.

I checked my e-mail, not surprised that I got one from Mom, gushing about how Jacksonville was, and asking about how I was doing. I answered each of her questions with as much detail as I could, letting her know that Bella was starting to come out of her shell, with the help of Jacob Black from the reservation. I knew that she would be excited about hearing that more than how my day at school was, but I did add that school went okay as a second thought.

School on Tuesday went by much like it did on Monday. I wasn't surprised when Mike chatted animatedly between classes, even his friend Eric Yorkie started talking to me. Though, I still preferred Angela to talk to, which I did during English, now that I knew that she was harmless. She helped introduce me to the rest of the lunch crew, Jessica and Lauren seemed less interested in me than they did Bella; though I couldn't say I minded.

I happened to notice that I shared a lot of my classes with the same people, something that I didn't notice the day before. A couple different people introduced themselves to me during class, trying to get to know the new girl. I answered their questions but that's as far as I went with the conversation.

I dropped Bella off at work after school, reminding her to call me when she needed a ride home. She promised she would before I pulled away and drove towards home.

I couldn't help but think of the rest of my afternoon boring. I didn't have Bella or Jacob here to entertain me- Jacob more than Bella. I seem to always have a good time with Jacob, Bella or no Bella. It only made me more excited about tomorrow to come.

I finished my homework before Dad got home, so I started fixing up dinner. Since it was going to be just the two of us, I didn't do anything crazy. Just a simple steak dinner with potatoes and stir-fried green beans.

Dad returned home just in time for dinner to be finished. "Smells good in here, Julie," he commented as he put his gun away. I was about 99% positive that he's never had to actually shot someone with his gun on the job, but he always brought it with him, mostly anywhere he goes.

"Thanks," I smiled back at him.

Dinner was pretty much silent between us, but I didn't mind it. I was used to it from when I've spent summers down here with him. We've never really had to talk to fill in the silence, and I think he enjoyed that about me and Bella. We didn't need to be constantly talked to, to be comfortable.

I started cleaning up the table, but Dad wasn't having any of it. "But, Dad-"

"No, buts," he said as he dropped the dishes that were in my hand, onto the table. "Go watch TV, or something. I'll clean this up."

I smiled at him before finally agreeing. I walked upstairs as I heard my phone go off. I walked into my room to see my phone lighting up with Jacob's number. I grabbed it after the third ring, "Hello?"

"Jules, hey," he said on the other end. "I almost didn't think you'd pick up. Thought you might be ignoring me."

I laughed at his joke. "You figured out my secret."

"Funny," he muttered humorlessly, which in turn made me laugh again. "I just wanted to call and ask if I should bring any movies for tomorrow?"

"Which movies do you have?"

Jacob and I talked on the phone longer than I thought I could. Even though we weren't actually hanging out, it was still just as much fun talking to him. It wasn't until Bella started calling on the other line that I realized it was late in the evening. I looked at the clock to see that it was 9:55 p.m.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath, jumping up from my bed.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked. I could easily make out the concern in his voice.

"Bella just called me, I'm supposed to go pick her up in 5 minutes," I answered, slipping my shoes on my feet. I quickly texted Bella that I was on the way.

"Alright, I'll let you go, then," Jacob laughed. "Be careful driving, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," I smiled warmly at his concern. "See you."

We hung up together, and I rushed out the door, shouting to Dad that I was picking Bella up.

Once I was outside Newton's Outfitters, Bella quickly jumped into the cab.

"How was work?" I asked, pulling out of the lot.

"It was okay," she nodded. "Mike kept me entertained." She paused for a moment while I waited for her to continue. "He asked me to the movies, and I told him that I didn't date. But he still insisted that we go."

I bit my lip at her silent plead for advice. "Try to get other people to go with you, then. That way there you can go as a group, instead of just the two of you."

She smiled softly at me, "Thanks, Jules."

"No problem."

The next night, Dad didn't seem surprised to see Bella, Jacob, and I sprawled out in the living room doing homework. Bella and I picked him up after school; he was as excited as we were, before we all remembered that we were doing homework. "But I brought good movies," Jacob mentioned, making Bella and I laugh in appreciation.

Jacob and I were taking up the couch, while Bella was using the coffee table as a desk. I stretched my legs, slightly knocking Jacob's textbook that was rest on his thigh. He glared joking at me, while I just laughed. He shook his head before allowing my feet access to his lap. I silently took his invitation to put my feet on his lap, but I could feel my cheeks light up while my heart thudded in my chest. He continued his homework like nothing happened, but I could see the slight blush resting on his cheeks.

"Hey, kids." Dad called out, his eyes straying towards the kitchen. Bella and I were making a lasagna- while Jacob watched and sampled, letting us know that it was indeed delicious.

Jacob stayed for dinner, and took some of the leftovers home for Billy. He reluctantly added a year onto Bella and I's age for being good cooks.

Friday afternoon we spent the day in the garage, and Saturday was back to homework. Bella worked during the day and picked Jacob up after her shift ended at two o'clock. We were able to finish our work before Dad got home; when he did we were sitting around the living room, sharing the couch, watching TV. Jacob seemed to be into the show that I've never watched before, but I enjoyed watching how excited he got after some type of car come onto the TV. It was entertaining to Bella and I, as we kept sharing amused glaces between the both of us.

"I probably ought to go," Jacob sighed. "It's later than I thought."

"I can drive you home," I stretched my arms over my head.

"Tomorrow, back to work," Bella said, walking the two of us outside. "What time do you want us to come up?"

"I'll call you first, okay?" Jacob said, suddenly getting very excitable.

Bella and I shared a confused expression, but agreed nonetheless.

I was lounging around the house, while Bella cleaned; both of us waiting for Jacob to call. She confided in me that she had a really bad nightmare last night, though she didn't tell me what it was about. "I just needed to get it off my chest," she had said. I didn't question her about it. She said that she was going to clean the house afterwards, which leads us to now.

I was the first one up when the phone finally rang around 1 o'clock. I jumped and ran into the kitchen; I could hear Bella running down the stairs after me.

"Hello?" I answered as Bella stopped next to me, placing her ear near the receiver to try and listen into the call.

"Jules," Jacob said, weirdly formal.

"Hey, Jake."

"I believe the three of us have a date," he finally said, his voice full of double meaning.

"They're done?" Bella got the implication first. "I can't believe it!" She laughed.

"Yeah, they run and everything."

"I'm gonna go get ready," Bella smiled, running up the stairs.

"Jacob, you truly are amazing, without a doubt the best person. You get ten years for this one."

"Cool! I'm middle-aged now," he laughed.

"We're on the way, now."

We hung up the phone and I quickly grabbed my sneakers from the living room, slipping them on my feet as Bella ran into the living room. "Let's go!" she said, with a bright smile on her face.

"Headed to see Jake," Dad said as Bella and I ran past him. He didn't ask.

"Yup!" Bella and I answered as we jumped into the truck.

"I'll be at the station later," Dad called after us.

"Okay, be safe!" I called back as we started the car up, and pulled away.

It felt it took only a minute to get to the Black's residence. We parked the truck off to the side of the house, closer to the trees, to make it easier to place the bikes in the back. The two shiny bikes were hidden from the house, but they were out of the garage. I laughed when I noticed that they had blue ribbon tried in small bows on the handlebars.

Jacob ran out of the house with an excited smile, "Ready?"

"Ready."

Jacob's POV:

I ran out of the house once I noticed that Bella and Julie pulled up. They both were looking at the new bikes with mirth in their eyes. "Ready?" I asked once I was in sight of them both.

"Ready," Julie answered with a bright smile, her white teeth glistening. Bella nodded her head, but it looked like she was starting to get nervous.

"Let's head out," I smiled.

I loaded up the bikes into the bed of the truck. They seemed to be getting easier lifting up, which surprised me at first, but I didn't question it. I laid the bikes on their side so that they didn't show.

"Let's go," Julie laughed, holding the passenger door open for me. I grinned before jumping in after her. I bumped into her shoulder, making my heart jump in my throat at the close proximity. She just laughed as Bella pulled out into the street.

"I know the perfect spot- no one will catch us there," I mentioned as I finally got my voice under control.

Julie and I talked most of the time while Bella drove slowly through the windy streets. She kept glancing out at the ocean while I was explaining the technical building of the bikes. She seemed confused at times, and I tried slowing down and explaining a bit more so she could understand, which she thanked me by grinning.

"No!" Bella shouted as we suddenly stomped on the breaks. I immediately placed my arm in front of Julie so she wouldn't hit the dashboard. She gripped tightly onto my arm while looking alarmingly at Bella.

"What the hell, Bella?" Julie asked, still gripping onto my arm. I was almost afraid that she would be able to feel my fast pace underneath her touch, but she didn't say anything about it.

"What's wrong?" I asked as Bella fumbled with her door.

"That guy- he just jumped off the cliff! Why didn't they stop him? We've got to call an ambulance!" Bella finally threw open her door, Julie and I immediately followed her. I started laughing as I made my way around the truck towards the two girls; Julie's light laugh joined in with mine, once she realized that no harm was done.

"They're just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn't have a mall, you know," I joked, but when I realized who was on top of the cliff, my light mood changed into irritation.

"Cliff diving?" Bella questioned, dazed. We all watched as another victim paused at the cliff's edge before taking a leap into the open water.

"It's so high," Julie commented as the guy landed safely into the water. "It must be a hundred feet."

"Well, yeah, most of us jump from lower down, that rock that juts out from the cliff halfway." I pointed to the rock that I was talking about, Julie nodding at my explanation. "Those guys are insane. Probably showing off how tough they are. I mean, really, it's freezing today. The water can't feel good." I looked down at Julie to see her looking at me with concern; I quickly replaced my disgruntled face to try smiling down at me.

"You jump off the cliff?" Bella asked.

"Sure, sure." I shrugged and grinned again. "It's fun. A little scary, kind of a rush."

"It's an adrenaline rush," Julie added, leaning up against the truck. "I've went a couple times during the summer down in Jacksonville."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I joked, looking down at Julie. She laughed along with me before shoving my shoulder playfully.

"You two have to take me cliff diving," Bella said with wide eyes and an equally wide smile.

I frowned down at her. "Bella, you just wanted to call an ambulance for Sam."

"I want to try," she insisted.

"It can't hurt," Julie shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes, it can," I reminded her before turning back to Bella. "Not today, all right? Can we at least wait for a warmer day?"

"Okay, fine." Bella nodded as we all jumped back into the truck. "But I want to go soon."

"If she's going, I'm going," Julie pouted, clearly excited to jump off the cliff. I felt my heart tighten up, with joy and with worry. I was glad that I could actually get her to do these things, but I was worried that she'll get hurt.

"Fine, soon." I sighed, agreeing with them. They both smiled at each other. "And we're not jumping off the top."

"Fine with me." Bella said looking back at the gang.

"Not the first time, at least." Julie added with a smirk. I bit my lip with worry.

"Are we going to try out the bikes or not?" I demanded, trying to stop the conversation.

"Okay, okay," Bella agreed.

We started driving again, and I relaxed against my seat.

"So who were those guys?" Julie asked, breaking the silence.

I grunted before answering, "The La Push gang."

"You have a gang?" Bella asked, almost sounding impressed.

I laughed shortly at her reaction. "Not like that. I swear, they're like hall monitors gone bad. They don't start fights, they keep the peace." I snorted. "There was this guy from up somewhere by the Makah rez, big guy too, scary-looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids, and Sam Uley and his disciples ran him off our land. They're all about our land, and tribe pride...it's getting ridiculous. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam." I shook my head, feeling the anger heating up my neck. "Embry also heard from Leah Clearwater that they call themselves 'protectors' or something like that."

I could feel my fist clench into fists, unable to hold in my hatred for the gang. I felt a cold hand got hold of my hand on my thigh. I looked down to see Julie, with a concerned expression. "You don't like them very much."

"Does it show?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well...it doesn't sound like they're doing anything bad," Bella mentioned, clearly trying to soothe me. "Just sort of annoyingly goody-two-shoes for a gang."

"Yeah. Annoying is a good word. They're always showing off- like the cliff thing. They act like...like, I don't know. Like tough guys. I was hanging out at the store with Embry and Quil once, last semester, and Sam came by with his followers, Jared and Paul. Quil said something, you know how he's got a big mouth, and it pissed Paul off. His eyes got all dark, and he sort of smiled- no, he showed his teeth but he didn't smile- and it was like he was so mad he was shaking or something. But Sam put his hand against Paul's chest and shook his head. Paul looked at him for a minute and calmed down. Honestly, it was like Sam was holding him back- like Paul was going to tear us up if Sam didn't stop him." I groaned, which made Julie's hand, that was still holding my own, tighten. I turned my fist to thread our fingers together unconsciously, not even thinking about it. "Like a bad western. You know, Sam's a pretty big guy, he's twenty. But Paul's just sixteen, too, shorter than me and not as beefy as Quil. I think any one of us could take him."

Julie's POV:

I was surprised that Jacob felt so strongly towards this La Push gang. I have yet to see him so angered at anything. I squeezed his hand, that was threaded with mine. I didn't mind that he was holding my hand, I knew that he needed to comfortable right now; plus I really enjoyed the feeling of our hands intertwined.

"Tough guys," I repeated under my breath.

"Isn't Sam a little too old for this kind of thing?" Bella questioned.

"Yeah. He was supposed to go to college, but he stayed. And no one gave him any crap about it, either. The whole council pitched a fit when my sister turned down a partial scholarship and got married. But, oh no, Sam Uley can do no wrong."

Jacob's expression clearly showed how much hatred he had for Sam, it was almost painful to watch the usually carefree boy, hate something so strongly.

"It all sounds really annoying and...strange. But I don't get why you're taking it so personally." Bella peeked over at Jacob the same time I did. I almost wished Bella hadn't said anything, as Jacob's face suddenly turned calm and stoic.

"You just missed the turn," he suddenly said in an tone.

I gripped onto the dashboard, letting go of Jacob's hand, as Bella took a wide U-turn. I felt Jacob grab onto my waist to try and hold me in place as we nearly hit a tree on the side of the road. I felt my heart speed up ten times over, for the rush of the turn, and the fact that Jacob was holding onto my waist tightly.

"Thanks for the heads-up," Bella muttered sourly.

I relaxed against the seat as Jacob muttered, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." It was quiet until he pointed along the dirt road. "You can stop anywhere along here."

After Bella pulled over on the side, we all jumped out of the truck; my sides were still tingling from Jacob's touch, but I tried to ignore it as much as I could. We were all silent as Jacob unloaded the bikes from the bed of the truck; it still surprised me that he could pick them up with such ease.

"Happy late birthday," he said smiling softly down at the both of us. "Are you ready for this?"

"I think so," Bella said the same time I said, "Definitely."

"We'll take it slow," he promised. He still seemed off about the whole gang-thing.

"Jacob..." I started, following him around the other side of the truck.

He looked up from leaning his bike up against the truck, "Yeah?"

"What's really bothering you?" I asked, leaning up against the truck next to him. "There's something else, isn't there?"

He didn't look angry anymore. He sighed as he looked down at the ground where he started kicking the bike's tire. "It's just...the way they treat me. It creeps me out." His voice was almost rushed now. "You know, the council is supposed to be made up of equals, but if there was a leader, it would be my dad. I've never been able to figure out why people treat him the way they do. Why his opinion counts the most. It's got something to do with his father and his father's father. My great-grandpa, Ephraim Black, was sort of the last chief we had, and they still listen to Billy, maybe because of that. But I'm just like everyone else. Nobody treats me special...until now."

I felt my heart clenched at how sad, and scared he looked. "Sam?"

"Yeah," he nodded. He finally looked up at me with troubled eyes, making my heart tighten. "He looks at me like he's waiting for something...like I'm going to join his stupid gang someday. He pays more attention to me than any of the other guys. I hate it."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," I said, finally getting why Jacob seemed so angry earlier. I felt my blood boil at how they were making Jacob feel.

"Yeah..." He went back to kicking the tire.

"What else?" I urged. I really didn't know where Bella was but I was glad that I could talk to Jacob privately about this.

He frowned. "It's Embry. He's been avoiding me lately."

I bit my lip, thinking that Bella and I might be the source of the problem. "You've been hanging out with Bella and I a lot."

"No," he shook his head, stepping towards me, like he wanted to comfort me. He stopped short, but didn't distance himself from me. "That's not it. It's not just me- it's Quil, too, and everyone. Embry missed a week of school, but he was never home when we tried to see him. And when he came back, he looked...he looked freaked out. Terrified. Quil and I both tried to get him to tell us what was wrong, but he wouldn't talk to either one of us."

"Would you like me to try talking to him?" I asked, not exactly sure what to do to help him, but I knew that I didn't want Jacob to be sad anymore.

He shook his head, though the corner of his mouth twitched lightly, "No. This week, out of nowhere, Embry's hanging out with Sam and the rest of them. He was out on the cliffs today." He bit his lip. "Julie, they bugged him even more than they bothered me. He didn't want anything to do with them. And now Embry's following Sam around like he's joined a cult.

"And that's the way it was with Paul. Just exactly the same. He wasn't friends with Sam at all. Then he stopped coming to school for a few weeks, and, when he came back, suddenly Sam owned him. I don't know what it means. I can't figure it out, and I feel like I have to, because Embry's my friend and... Sam's looking at me funny...and..." He trailed off.

"Jake..." I raised my hand to place on his bicep, trying to console him. "Did you talk to Billy?"

He snorted, the anger from before back. "Yes, that was helpful."

"Why? What'd he say?"

Jacob's expression turned sarcastic as he mocked his father's voice, "It's nothing you need to worry about now, Jacob. In a few years, if you don't... well, I'll explain later." He dropped the act. "What am I supposed to get from that? Is he trying to say it's some stupid puberty, coming-of-age thing? This is something else. Something wrong."

He started biting his lip, his jaw clenched and twitching. He had his hands in tight fists, much like he did in the car, but this time it looked like he was trying hard not to cry. This whole thing was really bothering him, to the point where he felt like he couldn't control his feelings.

Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck in a tight embrace; suddenly very glad that Bella was giving us time to ourselves. I felt Jacob's arms tighten around my waist as he placed his face deep in my hair and my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jake..." I whispered softly, threading my hands into his hair at the nape of his neck, hoping that it would calm him down soon. "If everything goes south, you can come stay at my house; I'm sure Dad won't mind another boy in the house."

I felt a shudder leave his body, making me tightened my hold even more, thinking that he was still upset. "Thanks, Jules," he whispered in my shoulder, his voice a lot huskier than before.

We stood like that for a while, as I relaxed my hold on him. I switched from having my arms around his neck, to placing them around his waist, gently rubbing his back in soothing motions.

I tried not to think about how much I was enjoying the close proximity that Jacob and I were sharing, but my heart gave my brain away. He was a lot warmer than I was, so I enjoyed the direct body heat as I placed my head on his shoulder comfortably.

"If this is how you're going to react, I'll freak out more often." His voice was back to it's normal tone; his laughter rumbling in my ear and vibrating our chests. He reached up and played with the ends of my hair, making my eyes fluttered closed. It felt normal to be in this position with him.

"Are you two lovebirds ready?" I broke away from Jacob's embrace at Bella's voice. I felt the blush resign on my face as I turned towards my sister. I didn't have to look at Jacob to know that his face was blushing red, also.

"Hush, you." I waved my hand at Bella, walking up next to her. She laughed at our red faces, while I scowled. Jacob laughed as he walked behind me.

"Are we going to ride or what?" Jacob asked, turning the conversation away from the fact that Bella called our lovebirds.

"Let's do it," Bella grinned.

I followed after the both of them, trying to get my heart rate back to normal.