Ruthie

Being at Embry's house was like a breath of fresh air. It was more of a home to me than my own house. I knew every detail of the quaint little house. It hadn't changed much in the fourteen years I had been going there.

"Where's your mom?" I asked as Embry pulled into his driveway. His moms small car was not parked in its usual spot.

"Out for lunch with her friends or something." He said, turning the car off and opening the door. I hesitated before opening my own door. I was sore from the terror last night, and I could feel it all over my body. These had emotional pain behind them too. I had stopped being emotional about the abuse I got from my dad as I got older, but I had never been hurt by anyone else. Embry noticed I was lost in thought. He opened my door and took my hand. I loved how in tune he was with me. A lot of people didn't know how to act around me, and they didn't even know my whole story. Embry knew everything, and he was my closest supporter. He led me gently into his house, sitting me on the couch, then turning on the tv. The movie he put on was some superhero movie. Any other day we would have been jumping around like idiots, having sword fights and other stuff, but today I was sore and tired.

Embry sat next to me and put his arm up over the back of the couch. He was subtly inviting me closer, but let me make the decision. He gave me a lot of freedom and space. Unlike most days, when I normally hate physical contact, today I wanted to be cuddled. I leaned my head on Embry's shoulder and closed my eyes, letting his warm skin relax me. I felt his heartbeat quicken.

"You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to. You won't hurt my feelings." He whispered in my ear.

"I do want to Em." I whispered back. I don't know why I whispered, it just felt fitting. I thought about how Embry said I was the most important girl in his life. It obviously wasn't true. I wasn't important enough.

"Hey Em?" I said about halfway through the movie.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about getting a girlfriend?" In all the time I had known him, he had never dated. He said it was because he had more important things to do, but I knew he didn't.

"I have better things to do with my time than go on pointless dates." He said, which was basically his standard answer.

"Em, all you do is work, eat, and sleep." I pointed out.

"And spend all the rest of my time with you." He looked at me pointedly.

"You know my feelings won't be hurt. I won't get jealous." I said, even though I knew I was lying.

"Ruthie, if I'm not here for you whenever you need me, who will be? I'm not going anywhere." He reassured me.

"Hey, Scarlett's cooking dinner tonight. You wanna come?" He said quickly.

"I know you're changing the subject, but yeah, sure." I mumbled.

"What was that?" He asked, tickling my sides lightly. I laughed.

"Yes I'll go to dinner tonight! But I should go put something decent on first." I said, looking at the ratty sweatshirt and jeans I was currently wearing. Embry sighed, and I felt his chest expand with the breath.

"Ok I'll drive you home." He said, turning off the tv with the remote and grabbing his keys.

"Can we walk? I have to get this soreness from my legs." I said. Embry looked at me skeptically, then nodded.

"One condition. I get to wait inside your house while you change." He said sternly. I growled a bit, but gave in. As we walked to my house, Embry kept his hand on the small of my back, feeling every painful step I took. As we approached my house I felt his fingers tighten a little. I pushed open the door and pulled out a chair for him.

"Sit. Don't move. I'll be back soon." I said, as if I were talking to a five year old. And in return Embry gave me sad puppy dog eyes. I went upstairs and started digging through my closet, trying to find something that would hide the scars and bruises on my legs. I eventually settled on a pair of khaki pants and a nice t shirt. As I was tying my sneakers back on my feet, my dad barged into my room and grabbed me by my collar.

"Why is there a boy in our kitchen?" He snarled, shaking me a little.

"He was just waiting for me to change." I said, hoping Embry didn't do anything stupid.

"Get him out of this house. There will be a big punishment when you come back." He said, hitting me across the face.

"Yes papa." I said, closing my eyes at the impact. He shoved me out the door, and I tried my best to keep myself calm as I approached Embry. He stood up as I entered the room. I avoided eye contact, just grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. I got to the trees that hid my driveway from the rest of the world before I stopped. Embry spun me around to face him, his hands on my arms. I felt tears slip down my face. I was completely embarrassed. I took one look at Embry's concerned eyes, then I buried my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms loosely around me, letting me have control.

"Ruthie sweetheart, it's ok. I promise it will all be ok." He whispered. I shook my head.

"No Em. You don't know that." I said, trying to hold back the sobs.

"I'll protect you. I promise." He said again. I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"We can go back to my place if you want." He said.

"No, we can still go to Paul's." I wiped the tear streaks off of my face. Embry gave me a slight squeeze, then took my hand and led me back towards the center of La Push.


hello again! I apologize for being so inconsistent. I've been so busy the past few weeks. However, now I'm on vacation so I should be updating semi-regularly! Yay! I hope you enjoy! Review please! :)