Thanks again for all the awesome reviews. You guys make me blush :) And thank you Mist for the banner! You rock my socks!
FYI chronologically we are now mid-late October. Still in Bella's POV. And on with the show!
A couple of weeks after my initial realization with Charlie, we were heading to La Push. Charlie was going fishing with Billy Black and Harry Clearwater. Theirs was an odd relationship. I knew they grew up together but the few times I had seen them all together since I moved back, Harry and Billy seemed to be watching me. I felt it odd that they would give me calculating looks, like they knew something that I didn't know. It was only confirmed the night of prom when Jacob showed up to give me Billy's "warning". Well, I thought. At least Billy will be happy. He got his wish of me and Ed… Him breaking up.
We pulled up to the red clapboard house just as the door was opening. Jake came bounding out of the house all smiles and contagious exuberance. "BELLS!" he shouts. I can't help but stare at him for a moment. He seems to have grown an LOT since the last time I saw him. His hair is bound at the nape of his neck, but I can tell it's now to his waist. His shirt is positively straining to contain muscles that I definitely don't remember him having. But his smile. Oh that smile is the same! Lips spread wide, bright white teeth gleaming. It's just one of those smiles that you can't help but return. I feel my heart lighten just a bit to see it.
Charlie swiftly goes in the house to collect Billy and the coolers for their catch as Jake barrels towards me. He sweeps me up into a crushing hug making me laugh. How I've missed laughter, it feels so good to just let it loose. Finally, he sets me down and begins babbling about his current project, the Rabbit and then moves on to his friends, his school, just everything he can think of in the space of five minutes. We both turn as the front door opens and Billy and Charlie come out.
"Bella," Billy says a large smile on his face. Guess I was right; I have finally gained his approval. I smile shyly at him. "Hey Billy, you and dad gonna catch us some dinner?" His laugh booms over us. "If I can keep your old man out of the Vitamin R long enough!" Charlie just rolls his eyes at his friend. "You good here Bella?" he asks me. I look up at him and see the duel meaning to his words. I nod my head firmly. "Yeah dad, I'm sure Jake has something we can do around here." Jake laughs and nods his head. "Well, you kids behave. No baking mud pies!" I feel myself blush deep red at the memory of that ill-conceived project.
We decide to walk on the beach for a bit. It's nice to just be in sunlight and not worry about my companion. In no time at all, Jake has me belly laughing at the antics of he and his friends, Embry and Quil. His carefree attitude and genuine heart show through brightly in the way he spoke of them. It made me realize that this was the kind of person I needed in my life. Jake was a person that could make anyone smile, even some one as broken as me.
We paused for a few to sit on the convenient piece of drift wood. He starts to ask me about school and my friends, especially the single ones. I had to laugh at him. "Well, Jake since my only friends right now are you and Angela, it would seem you are out of luck!" He cocked his eyebrow at me. "And why is that?" I take a moment to contemplate my answer. "Hmm, well for one Angela and Ben have been together for ever and a day and I don't see any end in sight for them. And two, I don't think it's legal to date yourself. It would really defeat the purpose of dating now wouldn't it?" I hesitate on my third reason because it's about me. I look at Jake and see his smile hasn't faded one notch. "And is there a third reason?" he asks. I take a deep breath. "Yes. Third: I am broken and in no way ready to be in a relationship. Especially with someone who I am sure has many pictures of both of us in the bath tub with bubbles in our hair and on our chins."
I turn to look at him with a completely serious look on my face. It lasted all of two seconds before I break out in laughter. He just shakes his head, smiling at me. It took a few for me to finally calm down and we lapsed into a comfortable silence that seems to stretch on. The waves and wind are calming my soul and I feel a contentment that I have not had in a while. This is a place I can feel comfortable and not have a constant reminder of him.
I am distracted from my thoughts by shouting further up the beach. I turn to see what it is. There're two guys throwing a football back and forth near two girls sitting on a blanket laughing at them. There's another guy sitting by the girls doodling in the sand. I can see they are all native with their darkly tanned skin and crow black hair. I did find a few things odd about them though. For one, the guys were wearing only cut-off jean shorts. No shirts, no shoes. The wind off the ocean is cool enough for a jacket for any one! The second was that they had what looked liked the same tattoo on their left shoulder. Third was their hair. I learned enough over the years to know that the Quileute men were very proud of their hair, only keeping it trimmed, never shoring it. So I found it odd that all of these guys had short hair. It looked to be cut with military precision. My curiosity burned.
"Who are they?" I asked Jake, pointing my chin down the beach. Jake looked at them and frowned. "That's Sam Uley and his gang." I can't help the disbelieving tone in my voice as I ask him, "Gang?" "Well, I guess gang is a strong word. They aren't causing trouble, more like preventing it. Chased off some drug dealers, some thugs, just some little stuff. They walk around thinking they are all high and mighty. And of course the elders and council think the sun shines out of Sam's butt." Jake growls out.
As I listen to Jake talk, I watched the boys. The one sitting stops doodling in the sand and the two tossing the ball slow down and grow quiet. Sand doodler cocks his head to the side almost as if he is trying to hear better. But I know that it is not possible for them to hear us that far down the beach over the sounds of the ocean. I shake my head of that thought. "Wait, Sam Uley?" Jake nods at me. "He's the one that found me." I look at Jake and see confusion on his face. "The night I got lost in the woods after Ed…Edward left." HEY! I said his name with only one stutter! "I should go thank him. No telling if I would have ever made it out of that forest without him." I stand and turn towards them only to see their backs walking away. Oh well, I will just have to try another time.