I *think* I have a poll up – if you want to help me figure out the plotline of this story, please go take it! I need a little dose of someone else's insight.

Also, just a warning: this chapter contains some strong language.

*I do not own any of these characters or the initial part of this storyline. Stephenie Meyer created some very fun playthings for me, is all.*

Chapter Four: He Who?

The next few weeks passed quickly, with Jake and me basically behaving the same as we always had. I'd head over to his place after school and "help" with the Rabbit, or he'd meet me at Charlie's and we'd spend the afternoon working on homework and watching goofy TV shows. We kissed more, but otherwise, we were Bella and Jake the same way we'd always been.

Charlie and Billy were, of course, beside themselves with excitement about Jake and me. I laughed when I thought of how unconcerned they were about us being around each other all the time – most teenage girls I knew couldn't hang out with their boyfriend without parents in the house with them, whereas Charlie and Billy still took their fishing trips and left us completely alone.

At unexpected times, I'd get a strange twinge in my chest, but Jake would make me laugh or hug me and it would go away. It happened the first bright, sunny day Jake met me after school in the parking lot, and again when I cut myself in the garage accidentally and Jake helped me bandage it up.

I knew eventually, though, things would get a little tougher for Jake and me. No one has a picture-perfect relationship, and sure enough, three weeks after our first kiss, Jake and I were knee-deep in our first fight.

"Oh geez, Jake, would you just come off it? I work with Mike, my truck broke down, and he drove me home. End of story," I firmly finished, hopefully letting Jake know this subject was closed for discussion.

"Bells, I know. I just really don't like the guy. He obviously has a huge crush on you. Why didn't you just call me to come get you? I wouldn't have minded."

"Because, Jake, it was a long way for you to drive. Mike was already there. I really don't know why you're letting this get to you so badly."

"Well maybe it's because I don't like other guys driving my girlfriend around in their vehicles that are big enough to practically be a bedroom!" By this point, Jake's voice was shaking, and he was shouting so loudly I had to hold the phone away from my head.

"Is that seriously what this is about, Jake? I really can't handle you going all caveman on me," I was seething mad, but trying to calm my voice. This was an absolutely ridiculous discussion, and I was planning to hang up the phone if it didn't make an abrupt 180.

"Damn it, Bells, yes. That's what this is about. You don't understand the way that creep looks at you – like you're something to eat. It reminds me of – of…" Jake's voice broke off, and I swore I heard something get smashed in the background. He growled loudly, and then all I could hear was a dial tone. He growled? Yeah, that's definitely what I heard. I was seriously thinking I should just chalk the whole conversation up to a bad lunch that contained hallucinogens or some other illegal contraband.

Half an hour later, Charlie arrived home with the pizza he'd picked up. After my fight with Jake, I just didn't feel like eating much or cooking at all. Charlie understood, and he didn't say much when I took my piece up to my bedroom and worked on homework sullenly.

I suffered through what felt like fifty pages of calculus homework, and then really didn't have much to do. I usually finished everything else in class or at lunch.

By two hours after Jake hung up on me, I started to feel kind of sorry for our fight. If I'd just called Jake instead of letting Mike drive me, we wouldn't have even had a reason to be upset. I swiftly got off the "what if" train though, realizing that a coworker giving me a ride home from work because my truck wouldn't start was seriously not a reason for a screaming match. I thought about calling Jake, but I wanted him to be the first one to apologize. The whole escalation of the situation had been his fault, anyway.

I finally got undressed and climbed into bed, hoping that Jake would call tomorrow and feel somewhat remorseful for how he'd acted.

************

The next morning, Charlie and I drove out to Newton's in order to check on my truck. It was a glorious Saturday, without a single cloud in the sky. According to Charlie, my truck probably just needed a new battery, so we drove over to the auto parts store and picked one up.

That was indeed the extent of the truck's malfunction, so I was able to drive my own vehicle back to the house, followed by Charlie, of course. When we arrived at the house, it was nearly noon. I started to feel a little uneasy, figuring Jake would've at least called to say something by this point.

So when I got upstairs to my room, I quickly dialed the Blacks' number and listened for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Billy. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Bella. How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess. Is Jake around?"

"He's umm… he's sick, Bella. Kind of came down with something last night. I'll have him call you when he's feeling better. Tell Charlie I said hello," with that, Billy hung up the phone. Sick? Jake had felt fine yesterday. Well, fine enough to yell at me over something completely trivial, anyway. And I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the way Billy hesitated before saying he was sick made me a little nervous.

I gave Jake 24 hours to call me back. If he didn't call me by tomorrow afternoon, I was going to head down to La Push to get my apology in person.

***********

First thing Sunday afternoon, I was on my way to La Push. Jake hadn't called. After yesterday's conversation with a rather reticent Billy, I figured showing up was probably my best chance to see Jake. When I turned the corner to Jake's street and parked my truck in front of his house, I noticed a curtain in his bedroom being closed. So Jake was up and about after all. Well, he had another thing coming if he thought he could hide from me after behaving like a Cro-Magnon.

I marched straight up to the front door and pounded on the door. Hell hath no fury and all that. When it opened to reveal a very startled Billy, I pounced on the opportunity and slid by him down the hall to Jake's room. I slung the door wide open, expecting to see Jake in bed reading or doing homework or something, but I found him crouched in the corner, burying his face in his hands.

"Jake, are you okay?" I asked gently, starting to move across the room toward him.

"Stay where you are, Bella. I don't want you to see me this way. Please leave," the last word sounded broken when it came from Jake's mouth. He was trembling, obviously upset over something.

"What do you mean? I'm not upset about our fight. Okay, maybe I am a little upset, but it'll be okay, Jake, I promise. Please look at me," I don't know why, but Jake sounding broken and telling me to leave was completely killing me inside. That twinge was back.

"I'm no good for you, Bells. You deserve someone normal. I can't keep seeing you," he nearly sobbed the last few words out, and I broke down. Something about the way he was phrasing this was making my chest ache and feel like a hole was gaping wide in the center of my very core. I curled into a ball and started rocking myself gently.

"What the hell are you doing? Why are you crying? I'm the one that's fucked up!" Jake was spitting the words at me, and he had removed himself from his crouched position in the corner. He paced toward where I was in the floor, looking torn between holding me and yelling at me some more.

"I… I don't know, Jake. Please don't leave me," I finished sadly, feeling the tears stream down my face. "What do you mean I 'deserve someone normal'? You're normal!" I was shouting too by this point, hoping I could shout some sense into him, I guess.

"I'm not normal, Bells. I'll never be normal. And it's all because of those lowlife Cullens that you decided to love."

"Don't call them lowlifes, Jake! They loved me, too!" What on earth was he talking about? I mean, he didn't believe all the things his dad said about the Cullens and the treaty and all that. So why on earth would he be calling them lowlifes? And they weren't lowlifes. They were good people… well, good vampires, anyway.

"What the hell, Bella? They leave you for dead and don't even care enough to check on you, while everyone here is absolutely worried sick for you. You curled up into a ball, just like you're doing now, and you cried for weeks on end and you… you died inside, Bella! Do you have any idea how hard that was for us to watch? And all because he left you!"

"He who? What are you talking about, Jake?"

At that point, I covered my ears against a loud roar. I swear it sounded like Jake made that sound. When I managed to look up, a gargantuan russet wolf towered over me, breathing heavily in my face and growling. I cringed back, and watched as the wolf's eyes went soft, and he curled into a fetal position. As I approached, trembling, something happened that made me feel like I was going completely insane. Bonkers. Certifiable, even.

The wolf morphed back into a human being. It changed back into my best friend, my boyfriend, my favorite person on the planet. And I passed out.