Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks for all the support! Here's chapter 4. This chapter is longer than the previous chapters, mainly because I needed a good place to stop. I must warn you now, it has mostly Ash/Jake action.

Chapter 4

To say I was excited was the understatement of the year. Jake would be arriving any minute to pick me up and head out for a day on the town. I would make sure to make today count since he told me he would have to pick up extra shifts for work. I was still curious as to what he did for a living, but I figured that as long as it wasn't illegal, I would be fine with whatever it was.

I had gotten up early to begin getting ready. I rummaged around in my closet and found a pair of slim fitting blue jeans with a long-sleeved white fitted shirt. It was supposed to be in the mid 50's today, so this should be good. Now onto my next dilemma: contacts or glasses? I looked between the two, trying to decide.

My head snapped up as my doorbell rang. I practically sprinted out of the bathroom and to the door. I quickly fluffed my hair and straightened out my shirt and took a deep breath to calm myself. I shouldn't seem desperate now, should I? I calmly opened the door to reveal Jake leaning against the doorframe with that sexy smirk on his face. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a black fitted shirt and black boots. His eyes ran over my form and I felt myself blush slightly.

I backed out of the doorway and stood to the side. "Come on in. I'm almost ready."

Jake pushed himself off the doorframe and walked in and looked around, whistling as he did. "Nice place."

"Glad you like it," I replied, ushering him to the couch and passing him the remote. "Did you bring your bike?" He nodded, eyeing my form appreciatively as he sat down. I tried not to blush.

Jake turned on the tv, flipping through the channels. I made my way to my shoe closet, trying to figure out what shoes to wear. Let's see, I guess my Timberland boots would be good. I grabbed them and walked out to the front room to put them on, plopping down on the couch next to Jake, who was fixated on the news.

"…-sure what happened, but the police are actively investigating. Riley seems to be the latest victim in a string of disappearances plaguing Seattle. Again, if you've seen Riley Biers please contact the local authorities. There is also a $5,000 reward offered to whoever-"

I shook my head sadly while tying my boot. "That's horrible. I really hope he's ok and they find whoever is behind his kidnapping, along with the others." It's a shame how someone can forcibly take someone from their loved ones. I glanced at Jake who was glaring fiercely at the screen. I'm really glad I'm not the television right now.

Jake seemed like he needed a moment, so once my shoes were tied, I went back to my room, and glanced between my glasses and contacts. Hmm, if we were taking the bike, I should probably wear my glasses so my contacts wouldn't dry out. Or I could bring my eye drops. Hmm, maybe I'll just wear my glasses, it's less of a hassle. I put on my glasses and went to my closet to grab my leather jacket. I figured if we were riding on a motorcycle, I could at least look the part.

"Ok, I'm ready," I said as I walked back to the living room. Jake glanced and cocked an eyebrow.

"A leather jacket, Ash?" He asked. Did he just call me Ash? Surprisingly, not many people called me that. Well, it could be because I didn't have many friends.

"I figured I should look the part," I replied, popping my collar. Jake laughed.

"You're adorable," he replied standing up. I blushed, though I tried to fight it. I mentally sighed. Hanging with Jake is going to turn my skin permanently pink.

We walked out of my apartment and I locked my door. "So, were are we headed?"

"Sightseeing," Jake replied, grinning at me. Sightseeing? In Forks? I shrugged. Maybe they had touristy things.

Jake straddled his bike and I got on behind him, my arms immediately wrapping around his waist. I was taken aback by how hot his skin was. I removed my arms from around his waist and looked at him in surprise. He turned his head to the side in question.

"Jake are you feeling ok? Your skin is burning up!" My hand immediately found his forehead and found it was just as hot. Was he sick?

Jake smiled slightly before removing my hand with his. "I'm fine. I just have an unusually high body temperature is all." I doubt that was normal, but he was still functioning well enough so he wasn't delirious with fever.

Jake must have read the worry on my face and gave me a heart-stopping, genuine smile. I couldn't stop my heart rate from picking up even if I tried. He was breathtakingly beautiful. He rubbed circles on my hand with his thumb before lifting the aforementioned appendage to his lips and giving it a light kiss. I swear if he wasn't holding my hand, I would've fainted. Though I would never admit that to him.

Jake's ego was big enough.

Jake reached behind him and grabbed my other hand, wrapping them once again around his waist. "Hold on," he said, turning on the motorcycle and revving the engine. Jake sped off from the curve and I squeaked before wrapping my arms around him even tighter. I was not prepared for that sudden burst in speed. I heard Jake laugh out loud. Knowing him, this was probably some elaborate plan to get me closer to him, literally.

I zoned out slightly as we rode through town. I felt…relaxed with Jake, even if he was currently driving way above the speed limit. Being with him felt…right. Almost like coming home. That's weird. How can I feel that way about a man I've known for barely a week?

Jake slowed down and found a parking spot. I glanced around and saw we were in the town center. I only knew that because the hospital I worked at was three minutes away. He got off the bike and helped me off as well.

"So, are there any malls around here?" I asked. It had been too long since I had a good shopping trip.

Jake shook his head. "Nah, no malls, just stores mostly. The nearest mall is in Port Angeles, about an hour away." An hour away? What did people in Forks do for fun? "I can take you there someday."

"Can we make that someday soon? I need to visit the mall ASAP," I replied, pouting slightly. I just got paid and I needed shoes.

Jake laughed. "You're a shopaholic, huh?"

"It's either that or drugs. I figured it's the lesser of two evils. Besides, it's how I stay in shape. Look at these guns," I said, flexing my arms to display my barely-there muscles. A few people passing by gave me weird looks, but I didn't care.

Jake fake swooned. "Oh, Ash. You're so strong. How can I ever hope to be like you?" He asked in a dreamy voice.

"It's simple. Shop till you drop!" I said, still flexing. An elderly couple walked by us and looked absolutely mortified. Jake and I glanced at each other when they passed before bursting into laughter. "Oh God, we're ridiculous," I said, wiping a tear away.

"At least we're ridiculous together," Jake replied, still chuckling.

We walked down the street in a comfortable silence, Jake pointing out different points of interest as we passed by. Admittedly, it wasn't very much. We stopped at a park and walked around. The flowers were beautiful; I just wondered how they survived the rainy weather.

"These are Indigo flowers. They're built to withstand the rain." Did I ask out loud? I looked at Jake, who just shrugged.

"You were staring out the flowers, I just assumed..." he said, trailing off. Huh, that's weird. I shrugged it off. Maybe I did say that out loud. We continued walking in silence, him bumping into me a few times. I didn't pay it any attention until he grabbed my hand and held it. I glanced at our hand and then at him. "Is this ok?" he asked nervously. I smiled in response and nodded shyly.

"The park is nice. I'm surprised more people aren't here, especially on a weekend."

Jake shrugged. "I guess when you're from here, you take things like this for granted. I'm sure there are things back in New Jersey you took for granted."

"Yeah, definitely. Like the mall being closer," I said, pouting. Jake laughed.

"You just can't get over that, can you?"

"You don't understand, Jake. Shopping is therapeutic. It's good for the soul."

Jake rolled his eyes. "I guess this is something I have to get used to? Bella hates shopping." That name sounded familiar.

"Is that the girl we ran into leaving the diner?"

I felt Jake tense slightly before nodding tersely. I didn't ask anymore. Jake would talk when he was ready. We continued our walk in silence before coming to a bench and sitting down, Jake still holding my hand.

Jake took a deep breath and let it out before turning to me. "Bella was my first love." I squeezed his hand lightly in comfort as well as urging him to continue. After all, I promised Jake I would be here to listen when he was ready. "It was all one-sided though. I thought I could change her mind when her boyfriend left, but she was so…obsessed with seeing him again. She did these really stupid things hoping he would come back. I guess it paid off eventually," Jake said bitterly. "I confronted both of them and almost ended up in a fight with him. She basically took his side even though he left her. I was so depressed after that entire ordeal, Ash, so much so my work and home life suffered," he finished quietly. I sat closer to him, leaning my head on his shoulder and placing my other hand on top of his. "She was my best friend, Ash, and she wants to be friends again, but I…" he trailed off, taking a deep breath, "I don't know if we can be friends. I feel like I'd just get hurt again."

I furrowed my eyebrows in thought. Jake was clearly hurting from what that woman did to him. I felt that protective urge once again as I watched Jake blankly in front of him. He was such a good guy and didn't deserve to be hurt.

"Want to know what's really fucked up?" Jake asked. I could feel him tremble slightly and, I could be wrong, but I swear his skin got even hotter. He began taking deep breaths to calm down and once he was calm enough, continued. "She didn't even bother to come by to see how I was doing. If it was the other way around and she was ignoring my calls, I would've gone to see about her!"

I put my arm around Jake's waist, trying to express with actions what I couldn't with words. Jake buried his nose in my hair and inhaled a few times. I was suddenly really glad I washed it.

"I'm sorry to bring the mood down, Ash. I just-" Jake paused, moving his nose from me and ran a hand through his hair, "I guess I needed to get that off my chest."

I smiled softly. "I did tell you I would be here to talk if you needed it. Too bad we didn't have any ice-cream though."

Jake chuckled and we sat in a comfortable silence for a while. "So, what would you do if you were in my shoes?"

I thought for a minute. "I'd be hella pissed, just like you are. But if you really want her back in your life as a friend, maybe take it slow. It seems pretty clear things can't go back to how they used to be, especially now that her boyfriend is back in the picture." Jake glanced down at me.

"Don't you mean now that you're in the picture?" My gaze snapped to his, expecting to see a teasing look. Instead, I found him completely serious smiling softly at me. My pulse quickened as we gazed into each other's eyes. I swallowed thickly.

"But we're friends, right?" I asked timidly.

"I'm whatever you need me to be," came the genuine reply before he kissed me on the forehead. I briefly closed my eyes savoring the feeling.

"So if I needed you to be my ride to the mall..?" I teased. Jake laughed and shook his head. "Just joking, at least for now. So, what are you going to do about Bella?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Jake sighed. "I guess take it slow like you suggested. It's kind of hard to avoid her since my dad and her dad are best friends." I hummed in response. "Can I tell you something?"

I glanced at Jake who looked at me seriously. "Anything you want to, Jake."

He took a deep breath. "I'm really happy we met. This may sound cheesy, but you helped the pain I was feeling from Bella go away." I smiled at him and he smiled back. "You really are amazing."

I blushed slightly before teasingly responding. "Is that why you dropped to your knee when we first met?"

"You remember that?" he asked, coloring slightly and clearing his throat. Ha! At least I wasn't the only one blushing in this partnership.

"Of course! It was a week ago, Jake," I deadpanned. "So what happened? You were so captivated by sheer amazingness that it knocked you off your feet?" I teased.

"That's pretty much what happened," Jake replied smiling softly at me. I was surprised at his response. I was actually expecting a smart-ass comment. "Besides, I know you felt the same. How could you not?" And there it goes. I rolled my eyes in response.

"Just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?"

"What can I say? It's a gift," he replied, standing up and pulling me with him. "Now that we've explored Forks, it's time to show you where I'm from." We walked back to the bike hand in hand, talking about any and everything on our way. Jake hopped on and I hopped on, immediately wrapping my arms around his waist. He turned around and smirked at me before taking off, a little slower this time. Half an hour later, I saw the sign welcoming us to La Push and a few minutes after that, we were pulling up to quaint little red house with a ramp attached to it. Jake parked his bike in the garage attached to it. So this must be his home. We walked out of the garage and up the ramp, hand in hand.

"Dad, I'm home!" Wait, I was meeting Jake's dad? This was all so sudden! I heard the squeaking of wheels coming from the back of the house. Soon, I saw a man with long black hair, with wisps of silver intermingled. The man smiled when he saw me, and I immediately knew this was Jake's father.

Jake stepped forward, still holding my hand and pulling me gently with him. "Dad, this is Ashley. Ashley, this is my dad."

I let go of Jake's hand and walked forward, my right hand extending out. "Hi Mr…" I trailed off, realizing Jake never told me his father's name. Actually, come to think of it I didn't even know Jake's last name. I mentally kicked myself at this revelation. "Uh, Mr. Jacob's dad," I finished lamely, coloring slightly. Jake's dad laughed heartily along with Jake.

"Jake never talks about me?" the wheel-chair bound man asked, disappointment lacing his features.

"Oh no, he does. He never mentions you by first name. And I actually don't know Jake's last name…sir," I replied awkwardly. The man chuckled along with his son. Why can't the earth open and swallow me now?

"My name's Billy," he said grabbing my extended hand and shaking it firmly. "So you're the woman who's got my son bouncing everywhere," Billy said. I blinked in confusion. What does that mean?

"Dad…" Jake said in warning. Billy smiled good-naturedly.

"So, will you be joining us tonight?" I glanced between Billy and Jake, confused.

"I was going to leave it as a surprise, dad." I cocked an eyebrow at Jake. What was a surprise?

Billy chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "Sure sure. I'm heading out now. I have to talk to Old Quil and Harry about something. I'll see you kids there." Billy rolled past us and down the ramp. When he was gone, I immediately turned to Jake, shooting him a glare.

"What did I do?"

"Jake, you could've told me I was going to meet your father! And you could've told me his name, or at the very least, your last name! He probably think I have horrible manners," I finished, hiding my face in my hands. I was mortified. Billy probably thought I was a horrible person.

Jake did the last thing I thought he would do. He laughed.

I blinked at him in confusion. What was so funny?

"I'm glad you get a kick out of my embarrassment," I pouted. Jake walked over to me and kissed my forehead. I really enjoyed when he did that.

"It's not that. It's just, you have to do a lot for my dad to think you're a horrible person. Stop being so dramatic." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Did I say that out loud? That's the second time today Jake commented on something I believe I didn't say out loud. I stared at Jake in confusion, who suddenly started to look contemplative. Could Jake read my thoughts?

Nah. That was impossible.

Wasn't it?

Jake cleared his throat drawing me from my thoughts. "I suppose we should get going. I want to introduce you to the guys." He grabbed my hand, walking out of the house and we walked down a pathway. "By the way, my last name is Black."

I glanced at him. "Jacob Black, huh? Well, my last name's Williams."

"I know," he replied. Ok, Jake was starting to freak me out. When he saw my slightly panicked expression, the russet-skinned man quickly clarified. "I saw your name tag when we went to lunch last week." Oh. So maybe Jake wasn't a telepath. Maybe he was able to guess what I was thinking by my facial expressions? Huh, I would have to watch that.

"So," Jake said gaining my full attention. "Favorite TV show growing up?"

I thought for a second. "Cartoon or regular?"

"Cartoon."

"Sailor Moon. You?"

Jake rolled his eyes. "Such a typical girl answer. Mine was Transformers."

"Such a typical guy answer," I mocked. Jake made a face at me. "Batgirl or Wonder Woman."

"Wonder Woman. You?"

"Same," I replied, waiting for him to ask a question.

"Dog or cat?"

"Definitely dog, I hate cats," I said, shuddering at the thought. My aunt had cats and they were evil. I can't tell you how many times I got scratched.

Jake seemed satisfied with this answer. "Me too. Though I think wolves are pretty cool."

"Yeah, but all are not easily domesticated."

"You'd be surprised," he replied, chuckling to himself. Inside joke I guess?

We continued walking and firing off questions, finding out more things we had in common. I froze suddenly, my head snapping to the left. Was that the sound of waves? Jake turned and looked at me.

"You okay?"

"Are we near the beach?" I asked excitedly. I loved the beach, almost as much as I loved shopping.

Jake chuckled at my enthusiasm. "Yep. There's a bonfire tonight. I thought it would be fun to attend. Besides, you get to learn more about my culture."

I glanced at Jake with a huge grin on my face. "This is so cool! I can't wait! I've always wanted to learn about different Native American customs. I wonder how similar it is to my own."

Jake blinked. "Wait, you're Native American?"

I nodded. "Not fully obviously. It's heavily diluted in me. I'm actually a bit of melting pot. My dad's Italian, African American and Hispanic and my mom is African American, European, and Native American, and that's only the known ones. I'm pretty sure there's a lot more. My mom's light-skinned, which is most likely where I get my complexion from."

"Really?" Jake seemed really intrigued. "What tribe?"

"Blackfoot. They're somewhere in Montana and Canada. It's not too many left, though," I replied. To be honest, I didn't know much about that part of my heritage. I do know that most of the tribe was slaughtered because they held the secret to something or another. The strange thing was there were not any accounts of who slaughtered them, at least to my knowledge.

Jake looked to be deep in thought as we continued to walk. Finally, we reached the beach. I smiled softly as I was greeted with the salty sea air. The beach was my home away from home. As we approached the bonfire, I saw a group of people sitting around it. I recognized one of the people from the night I met Jake, but the rest were new faces. I gulped as everyone's gaze moved towards us as we approached.

"Everyone," Jake began, "this is Ashley. Ashley, meet everyone."

I shot a side glance at Jake. He couldn't give me names?

Luckily, everyone went around and introduced themselves. After, Jake walked me over to a table holding a smorgasbord of food, all home cooked. Jake and I grabbed a plate or two (Jake) and helped ourselves. We then went to sit down with the group at the bonfire.

"So, you're from New Jersey, huh?" The one named Paul stated rather than ask snidely. "But you're not orange." Seriously, was everyone's image of Jersey warped?

"So, you're Native American huh. That's weird, you're not wearing any feathers," I stated back coolly, making a show of looking for his feathers. Jake choked on his food before turning his head to the side in laughter.

"Damn, Paul, need some ice for that burn?" Embry said laughing. Paul rolled his eyes, though he had a slight smile on his face.

"I like her," Quil said. "She's got spunk."

"Don't mind Paul. Rude comments are just his way of saying hello," Jared said, Kim tucked under his arm.

I smiled at Paul, showing now hard feelings and he smiled back and winked. "Had to make sure you had a backbone. That's the only way you'll be able to put up with Jake and his never-ending-bullshit-drama-filled life." Jake growled in warning at Paul, who just sent a two finger wave in his direction.

I put a hand on Jake's shoulder before turning to Paul. "Thanks for the concern, but I'm sure I can handle Jake and his 'drama-filled life' just fine," I replied jokingly.

Paul laughed. "You say that now. Good luck, you're gonna need it," he replied glancing to the side. I felt Jake's surprise as he glanced over as well. The girl we had saw at lunch that day, Bella, was walking down the beach with Billy and the other guy I met in the grocery store, Sam.

"You going to be ok, Jake?" I asked worriedly. After telling me what happened between the two, I was even more determined to protect him from the hurt associated with Bella.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just, stay close to me?" He said, grabbing my hand. I squeezed it slightly.

"Bella!" Quil said when they got closer. "What brings you here tonight?"

Bella smiled at him. "The Cullen's had to-" she glanced at me before turning back to Quil, "uh, go out to dinner. I, uh, I didn't want to be alone." I blinked. I don't know who the Cullen's were, but they couldn't take her out to eat with them? That's odd. "Dad's out of town till Monday, so I came here." Wow, so this was her last resort? I glanced at Jake to see his response. He was looking down at our hands, rubbing circles around mine once again. I wish I knew what he was thinking. I intertwined our fingers together. Jake glanced at me and smiled, bringing my hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss on it once again.

Bella sat down on a log, directly across from Jake and myself, looking between Jake and myself. Part of me wanted to be rude and roll my eyes at her. But another part of me, I guess the more rational side of me, decided against it. As she glanced at me once more, I held my head up and met her gaze directly. I wouldn't disrespect her, as long as she wasn't rude to Jake. Her gaze then shifted to the ground in front of her, her eyes sad and... jealous? Was Bella jealous of me? Or was she upset because Jake and I were hanging out? I heard a snicker and glanced to the right side. Embry was giving me a thumbs up with a huge grin on his face. I guess he didn't care much for Bella.

Sam plopped down on the ground, his head immediately going to rest in Emily's lap. I smiled at the scene and couldn't help but wonder if that would someday be Jake and me. I glanced at the young man currently occupying my thoughts who was chatting quietly with Quil and Jared. As I gazed at Jake, I felt my heart swell with emotion, though I dare not identify that emotion. Everything was moving so fast. Jake and I had met only a week ago, and here I was talking to him every day like we grew up together, telling him things I've never told anyone, and missing him when we weren't together. What the hell was wrong with me?

My gaze turned to Billy as he began by welcoming us all to the bonfire. He then began to tell the story of the Quileute legends. I listened intently, captivated by not only the tale, but also how Billy expressed the story. I was leaning on the edge of the log I was sitting on when Billy told the story of what happened to the third wife of Taha Aki. I felt tears spring to my eyes. To sacrifice yourself to help the person you love is a beautiful thing. When Billy finished telling the stories, he left. Emily and Kim started packing up the food. I offered to help, but they declined, saying I was a guest tonight. The guys, except Jake, got up to play the roughest game of football I had ever seen in my life.

"What did you think of the stories?" Jake asked me.

"They're amazing. Especially the one about the third wife. She's a wonderful woman for sacrificing herself for the one she loved," I replied, getting a little misty-eyed again.

"That she is," Jake replied, squeezing my hand gently. "I know you say your Blackfoot blood is diluted, but do you know of any legends?"

I shook my head sadly. "No, I wish I did. After watching and listening to your dad, I feel like I should research them, you know? Maybe someone was able to write them down."

"Hmm, there may be something in our library, though it's off limits to outsiders. I could check for you though," Jake replied, leaning back slightly and stretching out his legs. "They can't deny the son of the chief," Jake said winking at me.

I gazed at Jake in amazement. "Your dad's the Chief?" Jake nodded, smirking at me. "Great, I've embarrassed myself in front of the Chief of La Push. He's going to ban me from coming back for sure," I said looking at the sky and shaking my head.

Jake chuckled. "I've already told you, you're fine. Besides, my dad loves you."

"How can he love me when he thinks I have horrible manners?" I replied, bringing my knees up to my chest. I removed my hand from Jake's and folded my arms on my knees and laid my head down. I was so embarrassed.

"You don't have horrible manners," Jake replied, rolling his eyes. "And he loves you because you make me happy."

My head snapped up and turned to Jake. I was expecting to see a playful grin on his face, but instead I saw a genuine smile. I couldn't help by smile back.

"Really?" I asked timidly.

Jake grabbed my hand once again, and used his other hand to caress my face. I was captivated by the light from the bonfire dancing in his dark brown eyes. "Really," he replied moving closer.

In a perfect world, this would've been the part where Jake and I shared our first kiss. However, this is not a perfect world, and our moment was interrupted when Bella walked over and stood in front of us.

"Can I talk to you?"

Jake groaned slightly and I sighed.

"What do you want, Bella?" Jake replied a little moodily, making her flinch.

"I actually want to talk to her," Bella said glancing at me. I blinked in confusion. Why did she want to talk to me?

Jake cocked an eyebrow at Bella before glancing at me. "You don't have to, you know."

I eyed Bella as her eyes watered slightly at Jake's response. A part of me thought she deserved the cold shoulder from Jake considering how she treated him, but another part of me honestly felt bad for her. I sighed.

"It's okay, Jake. I don't mind talking to her." Damn my conscience.

Jake looked between Bella and myself before standing up and brushing off the back of his pants. "I'll be over there if you need me," he said, pointing to the group of guys rough-housing on the beach. I nodded as he walked off. Bella then took the spot where he was sitting, though not nearly as close.

We sat in silence as I waited for Bella to talk. "Thank you for agreeing," she said quietly. "I know Jake probably didn't want you talking to me since he's still mad."

"Can you blame him for being upset? You basically ditched him when your boyfriend came back. I'd be upset, too," I replied, defending Jake's behavior. Bella flinched. "He's hurt over how you treated him, Bella."

"I honestly didn't mean to hurt him." I cocked an eyebrow. "He was my personal sun. He was there for me when no one else was. He's my best friend, and I miss him so much." Was she trying to manipulate me into getting Jake to talk to her again? If she was, it definitely was not going to work.

"If he means so much to you, Bella," I said, sneering her name, "Why weren't you there for him when he needed you." I was trying to remain unbiased, but it was hard, especially when that protective urge made itself known deep in my chest. I glanced at her, fire in my eyes. "He was there for you. He loved you. He needed you, Bella, and you left him alone when he needed you most."

Bella's eyes filled with tears. "I tried to call, but he was avoiding me," she replied meekly.

I huffed in response. "Why didn't you go over and see him?"

"Edward didn't think-"

"Fuck what Edward thinks! If I had a best friend, I would do any and everything to see about them. Especially if I was the person who hurt him!" I was yelling now, but I couldn't help it. I subconsciously noticed the guys were no longer talking and rough-housing. Instead, they were watching us intently.

"So if you were in my shoes, and Jake didn't want you seeing your best friend who he dislikes, you wouldn't honor Jake's wishes?" Bella said, raising her voice and glaring at me.

"What I would do is talk to Jake about it and explain the situation. And if he still didn't want me to see about the person who is supposed to my best friend, he would just have to be upset with me. I would never leave my best friend when in need!"

Bella was silent and so was I. I couldn't believe the reason she didn't see about Jake was because of Edward. Who the fuck is Edward anyway?!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I glanced over to see Sam and Jared walking towards us. "Bella," Sam called. She turned her head to the side. "The Cullens called. They're ready to pick you up." Bella stood up and walked over to them without so much as a glance in my direction. That was fine by me.

"You okay?" I turned to find Jake walking up to me.

"Do you know she had the audacity to say that the reason she didn't come and see about you was because Edward didn't want her to?! Who the fuck is Edward anyway?!" I seethed.

"That's her boyfriend," Jake replied, resuming his spot next to me. This time, he sat much closer. Not that I minded.

"So because her boyfriend forbade her from seeing her best friend, she didn't come to see you? What is this, the 1950s? She does know women are allowed in places other than the kitchen, right?" I replied. Seriously, did she do everything her boyfriend told her to do?

Jake shrugged, "Guess so. By the way, thank you for defending me, although you didn't have to."

"I couldn't help it, Jake! Earlier, you looked so broken and when we started talking, the only excuse she could give was her boyfriend prohibited it! That has to be the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard in my life!" Jake was silent for a moment before wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me against him. I tensed slightly before forcing myself to relax. This was new.

"Where did this feistiness come from?"

"That's what happens when you piss me off."

Jake chuckled. "I guess I better never piss you 'awf' then, huh?" Jake said, mocking my accent.

I rolled my eyes. "So now you're mocking me?" I snuggled into his side, making myself comfortable. He was so warm and toasty.

Jake chuckled. "I was trying to take your mind off of the situation."

"Well it worked until you brought it up again. While we're at it, is there anyone else who hurt you? A bully? Teacher? Your uncle's father's third cousin twice removed? May as well tell me now while I'm still fired up?"

Jake laughed. "You'd probably have to take out a third of La Push if I told you about all the people who've upset me."

I shrugged. "No one messes with my Jake."

Silence, and then "I like the sound of that."

Author's note #2: Okay, so next chapter is when shit hits the proverbial fan. By the way, did you guys catch the hints I was dropping in regards to Ashley? Believe me, it's just the tip of the iceberg. Anyway, please review! See you guys soon!