Chapter Four: Imprinting and Ice Cream

-TWILIGHT IS THE WORK OF STEPHANIE MEYER. I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT (unfortunately).

JACOB POV

I looked up and met her eyes.

The guilt, misery, everything disappeared. Nothing mattered but her. I didn't think I could love her any more than I already did, but I was so, so wrong.

I can't fully explain what happened. I don't really know myself. But all of a sudden, Isabella Swan mattered more than anything, everything in the world. She was the center of the universe.

I had imprinted on her.

Just seconds before, I had been on the verge of tears, about to tell her I couldn't be with her anymore. It was too dangerous. I wasn't the same anymore. If I snapped, she could end up like Emily, or worse. I couldn't let that happen. They wouldn't let me tell her the secret anyway.

None of that was relevant anymore.

The object of a werewolf's imprinting is allowed to know about us. I didn't have to leave her now.

"Bells, I need to tell you some really important stuff."

"I told you, I'm good with weird," Bella said after I spilled the entire story to her. It was actually kind of disappointing; she didn't faint or puke or anything.

"I'm just glad you know, and I don't have to leave you," I admitted, holding her hand in mine. She smiled, and I kissed her.

"I don't think I've been this happy in my entire life," I told her as we walked down the beach, hand in hand.

"Me either," she said, a huge grin on her face. I tried to imagine our future, but I couldn't. All I knew was that one day, hopefully soon, I would marry this amazing girl. That made the grin on my face even bigger.

BELLA'S POV

It was a month before graduation. It was a normal Monday morning. I walked into my homeroom class and took my seat in the back of the class, where I sat alone. It took a full minute, but I suddenly noticed someone was next to me. I jumped and looked to my left.

"Oh my god, I'm hallucinating again," I whispered to myself.

He seemed so real. I could even smell his breath when he spoke. My imagination had really outdone itself. "Hallucinating? What are you talking about, Bella?"

I brought my hand to his face and touched him. "Ohmygod."

I wasn't hallucinating.

"Can I speak to you outside? I don't think it's necessary for us to attend class today," I said, venom seeping into my voice. He nodded and led me outside.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? YOU COME BACK AFTER ALL THIS TIME AND DON'T SAY ANYTHING? ARE YOU TRYING TO ACT LIKE THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS DIDN'T HAPPEN? CAUSE THEY DID!" I screamed while he stared at me, expressionless.

"Bella-"
"DON'T 'BELLA' ME!" I hollered. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?"

"Obviously you forgot about me quickly enough," he snapped, his mask slipping and revealing a hurt, angry, dangerous Edward.

"You didn't care about me. You lied. You left me," I retaliated.

He looked exasperated. "You really thought I didn't love you? How could you fall so easily for such a lie?"

Bella froze and stared at Edward; her jaw fell. "Lie?"

Edward sighed. "Of course, Bella. I just can't believe you believed me, after I've told you so many times how much I love you."

"It never made sense that you loved me… But it doesn't matter, Edward. I love Jacob," I told him, and he cringed.

"That dog better treat you well," he said almost threateningly.

"At least I know he won't leave me," I snapped. He closed his eyes in shame.

"How do you know? He could leave you." His confidence returned as he probably imagined me running back into his arms after being dumped by Jacob.

"He can't leave me. He imprinted on me." The four words I did not want to tell Edward, not now. It's bad enough he was back, and I was hurting him. If he really loved me, I didn't want to break his heart.

"Imprinted…" he repeated, shocked, and with that turned away and ran.

"Don't cry, Bella. He's pretty overconfident if he thought you would've sat there for almost a year and waited for him to come back," Jacob comforted me after I called him to pick me up. He drove us to my house, where I called Charlie to tell him briefly what happened. He said he was on his way home, even though I insisted he stay at the station.

"Somebody brought ice cream!" he announced when he walked in, holding two gallons of my favorite ice cream. His expression alone made me burst into laughter. It was obvious that he was furious and would love to pound Edward's face into the ground (if he could), but he tried, unsuccessfully, to put on a happy face. Jacob joined in my laughter, pulling me closer into his embrace.

Yumm, ice cream! (: Hope you enjoyed the twists. Haters, bring it on. Leave me a bad review. (: