Bella's POV:
"Okay, where's your clutch?"
Both Jules and I pointed to the lever, that Jake drilled into our head, that was the clutch. My bike started to wobble under me as I quickly grabbed hold of the handle again. Maybe letting it go in the first place was a bad idea. I looked over to see that Jake had grabbed hold of Jules bike as it was also wobbling. I felt a tightness in my stomach as I watched them interact.
I was okay with them flirting at times; as they were clearly into each other. But, it was the fact that I was not comfortable around couples anymore. I hated to say that it made me jealous because he left.
"Jake, it won't stay up," I complained lightly. My nerves were getting the best of me.
"It will when you're moving," he promised. "Now where's your brake?"
"Behind my right foot."
"Wrong."
He pointed to my right hand, near the level at the handle.
Jules pursed her lips, "I thought you said-"
Jake shook his head before he grabbed Jules hand and squeezed it over the level. "That is the brake you want. Don't use the back brake now, that's for later, when you know what you're doing."
"That doesn't sound right," I muttered. "Aren't both brakes kind of important?"
"Forget the back brake, okay? Here-" He wrapped his hand around mine this time, and squeezed down the level under my hand. "That is how you brake. Don't forget." He gave my hand another friendly squeeze before letting go.
"Fine," both Jules and I answered.
"Throttle?"
We both twisted the right grip.
"Gearshift?"
Again, we both nudged our foot against the gearshift on our left.
"Very good. I think you've got all the parts down. Now you just have to get it moving."
"Uh-huh," I mumbled, my nerves once again making an appearance. My stomach was twisting and turning and I was afraid I might lose my late breakfast. I shouldn't be so afraid of being on the motorbike; I've faced fear in the face and won. So, why am I so frightened now?
"I'll ride on the back of Bella's bike, so then you can have yours back," Jules said, kicking the stand down.
"You sure?" I muttered, afraid to speak louder because my voice was sure to squeak. I was already nervous riding with myself, let alone Jules being on the back, too.
"We will be fine," Jules nodded as she climbed on the back of our bike.
"Okay..." Jake said, almost hesitant. "I want you to hold down the clutch."
I quickly did as he said, and wrapped my fingers around the clutch.
"Now this is crucial, Bella," Jacob stressed. "Don't let go of that, okay? I want you to pretend that I've handed you a live grenade. The pin is out and you are holding down the spoon."
"Or else, we both are going flying," Jules laughed in my ear.
I tighten my hand down.
"Good. Do you think you can kick-start it?"
"If I move my foot, I will fall over." I told him through my gritted teeth. My hand was so tight around the clutch, a.k.a. the live grenade.
"I can do it," Jules offered, moving slightly on the seat.
"Don't let go of the clutch," Jacob stressed again.
Jacob took a step back as Jules slammed her foot down on the pedal. There was a short ripping noise, making me jump from the suddenness. I felt the bike start to sway underneath me, but both Jules and Jacob grabbed hold to steady it.
"Steady there," Jake encouraged. "Do you still have the clutch?"
I nodded.
"Plant your feet- Jules go ahead and try again." He placed his hand on the handle of the bike, just in case we swayed again.
It took four more kicks before the ignition caught. The bike was rumbling underneath us like an angry animal. I kept hold of the clutch like my life depended on it.
"Try out the throttle," he suggested. "Very lightly. And don't let go of the clutch."
With just the slightest movement, I twisted the right handle. The bike snarled again, louder this time; making it sound like an angry animal that was now hungry.
"Do you remember how to put it into first gear?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Well, go ahead and do it."
"Okay."
We all waited for a few seconds before Jules mumbled, "left foot."
"I know," I said, taking a deep breath.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jacob asked.
"I can drive first, if you'd like," Jules offered. My tight stomach loosened a little bit at her offer.
"Can you?" I mumbled, turning off the bike. She nodded as she jumped off the bike, my anxiety loosened even more as I skidded back on the seat. Maybe I just wasn't ready for the bike yet.
Jacob grabbed Jules hands lightly, making sure they were on in the right place, as he helped her get the bike started again. I felt my stomach tighten in jealousy as I watched them interact. They seemed to flow well with each other; equally leveling the other out. They were both laid back, and did exciting things; things I've never dreamed about doing before. But, Jacob was warm, he was bright and he made anyone smile. Jules was cold at times, not knowing how to show her emotions. Jacob easily brought out her good side. Jacob brought out my good side...
Julie's POV:
The bike roared back to life, as Bella tightened her arms around my waist, holding on tight. I could practically feel her hands shaking in either excitement or nerves, I wasn't sure which. "You sure you want to do this?" I asked one last time over my shoulder towards Bella.
"I'm sure."
"Slowly release the clutch," Jacob instructed, letting go of my hands so I could take over. I did as I was told and released the clutch slowly and evenly, making the bike spit forward and Bella tightened her arms again, making me gasp for air.
"Sorry! I'm sorry," she muttered as I clenched down on the clutch again, after gaining my breath. "Go again, I'm ready this time." I could tell that she was lying about something, but I sighed and did was she asked anyways.
Again, I released the clutch gently, making the bike move forward in an even pace before we really took off in a good speed. I felt Bella's laughter, making me join in on the fun. She wiped her head back and forth, taking in the scenery as I sped down the dirt road. I could see a turn coming up ahead and when I was about to slow down to take the turn, Bella, again, tightened her arms painfully around my waist, making me clench my fists, and also slamming down on the wrong brake.
I felt the whole bike tip over as Bella and I rolled on the ground, my back skimming the dirt and rocks. I hissed in pain before leaning up against the nearest rock. My back was sore from the fall already, and I could only imagine how the bruises were going to be tomorrow morning. I looked over at Bella to make sure that she was okay. She didn't look like she had many injuries, except some scratches on her hands.
"Julie! I'm so sorry-"
"Are you okay?" I asked cutting her off. With her mouth open in shock, she nodded her head.
"Jules! Bella!" We both looked up to see Jacob jumping off the bike once he got close enough to us. "Are you okay?" He asked frantically, looking at both Bella and I. Bella nodded her head, still in surprise, while Jacob looked down at me worriedly. "You're bleeding," he pointed out. He reached down and touched my cheek and I watched as he pulled his hand away, with some of my blood on the tip of his finger.
I reached up and held onto the spot where there was a slight burn coming from. I hissed when I made contact but I still tried to wipe the blood off of my face.
"I'm gonna go get the truck," Bella said in a hurry. "You should probably get that treated."
"I'll be fine," I shook my head, but neither one of them listened to me. Bella turned as fast as she could without tripping over her own two feet before running over to get the truck. We didn't actually make it as far as I thought we did.
"Here," Jacob started before he reached up and took his shirt off. I felt a small blush on my cheeks as I looked at Jacob's chest. It was a lot more toned than you would expect for a teenager. He kneeled down in front of before dabbing his shirt on my cut on my cheek.
"You don't have to ruin your shirt for my cut," I said gently as he was focusing in on cleaning my cheek.
He shrugged his shoulders before smiling down at me, "I have my sweat shirt in the car, no worries."
"You're really handsome," I muttered, watching his dark eyes focus in on my face. I felt my cheeks darker even more as I realized I said that out loud. "I'm sorry-"
"I think you hit your head harder than you think you did," he joked, cooling off the situation. I tried laughing it off, but I could still feel the back of my neck burn in embarrassment.
Bella came around with the truck and we all got ready to head out of the trails. Jacob managed to get all the bikes back into the back while Bella gushed about my cheek. I kept telling her that we didn't need to go to the hospital to get it checked, and that I was going to be fine if I just went home. Of course, she didn't think it was the best idea, and even Jacob complained about not checking my cut, but they both didn't argue after I put my foot down.
Dad wasn't home when we snuck into the house, Bella quickly putting a tarp over the bikes before dad did show up. Bella and Jacob relaxed on the couch in front of the TV while I changed out of my dirty clothing and washed my face. The cut was about an inch and a half long, starting at my cheekbone going towards my nose. I placed a bandage over it before calling it good and joining the two in the living room.
Jacob didn't stay for very long afterwards, Bella and I dropped him off at his house with a promise to hang out again. When dad finally got home that night, he asked about the cut on my cheek like I figured he would have.
"We went trailing in the woods behind Jacob's house when a branch sliced my cheek. It's nothing to worry about," I shrugged. Bella looked impressed at my on-the-spot lie.
"You three should probably stay out of the woods for a while, there's been bear sightings near town, and I'm not sure I feel safe with you guys going into the woods unprotected," Dad concerned, rubbing both of our heads gently. "Promise you'll be safe?"
"We promise."