All for Me, to Me, You Sue
Chapter 3: Lucky

I was surprised by his etiquette behavior. After having perfectly parked at a convenient space, he quickly got out of his car and before I knew it, stood by my door to open it for me. I didn't even have time to blink, much less excuse his gesture. So I took his hand. This made him smile, but I still had the feeling that he would have done the same had I not done so. As he was helping me out of his car, I tried to shake the thought of what that might have looked like in the public eye.

'Stupid, ugh,' I thought to myself. If any of our friends saw this—

And then I heard the giggles and felt the stares.

"I see you two were, in fact, quite careful," Mike smirked.

I glared and became satisfied that it at least wiped his smirk away.

"Shut up, it's isn't like that," I snorted at them angrily – or at least as angrily as I could manage, what with actual embarrassment creeping into me like the sneaky little snake it is. I turned away quickly before it had the chance to reach my cheeks.

"Oh," Jessica made the word slide. "Really?" Her eyes were playfully suggesting something, and I realized that she was looking down at my and Callum's linked hands. I rolled my eyes and snapped my hand away. Did I say snapped it away? I mean, tried to snap it away – the fool's got a hard freaking grip. It was neither violent, nor did it hurt, but it held me collectively. I wondered then if it was me who was suppressing my own strength, not that he was suddenly green and incredible. Everyone giggled. The worst part was that one of them was Callum, his free hand lifting to rest at the back of his head again, like he did in English class when he'd roared in laughter out loud. I was beginning to think he does it whenever something mildly embarrassing – to his own, personal standards – happens to him. Something about that just about made me smile up at him, but I resisted it before he caught me, and he's good as a fisher at catching me.

Just then, I heard a familiar, wild greeting from behind my group of friends.

"Bella!"

"Jake!" I called, much easily slipping my hand from Callum's now as I ran to greet my best friend.

He picked me up effortlessly in a tight hug, his right hand gripping the back of my head while the other circled around my waist, where I assumed he was holding me up by. I could feel the hot air from his mouth against my neck as he held me closely, a feeling that is so familiar and so desired by me – Jake has really been an important factor as to why I am still whole, when I should be scattered broken on the floor. He let me down slowly, still gazing warmly at my eyes.

"Bella, I've missed you," he said softly, as though unaware of the audience we had.

I, on the other hand, was pretty aware and I knew that no set of eyes left us once since the moment he picked me up off the ground to hug me. But I could care less.

"I missed you, Jacob," I smiled at him. I really did miss him, and that was while knowing the fact that we hadn't been without each other for more than four days. That was long enough for me. I needed him to keep me from tearing myself into pieces – and keeping my very life.

I heard someone cough, though I wasn't sure who it was. It sounded like a male, but again, I couldn't be sure. Jacob and I instinctively tore apart from each other, his hand steady around my waist all the while.

Jessica rolled her eyes, but she smiled at me comfortingly as though to say she couldn't help it. I knew she was distinctly aware of how much my recover was due to Jacob, and how that rescued our own friendship from completely crumbling over.

"Come on up, you guys," Mike called, "It's beginning to get crowded."

"Plus, I can smell the food already," Tyler drooled, with Lauren drooling at him beside him. She grimaced when he quickened his pace, leaving her by herself.

I felt Jacob's hand slide from my waist to capture my hand in his gently – a completely regular routine – and I smiled at him in encouragement. Beside me, a figure passed by me in a swift and driven manner. Callum. I'd almost forgotten he was there. Seeing him then, I suddenly felt a strange thump in my chest. He didn't even look at me, and yet he was so casually friendly with the others as they all went inside together.

"Come on, Bells, Jacob," Angela beckoned, Ben loyally at her side.

Dinner was delightful. Instead of individual meals, everyone decided to share three large pizzas, each one divided into two kinds of toppings, totaling in six, even. Mike, Tyler, and Ben ate… uh, healthily, while Lauren, Jessica, Angela, and I settled for a single slice or two. We all fell into local conversation before it turned educational until it turned to social gossiping, though the most active participants were Lauren, Jessica, Callum, and Mike, while Tyler and Ben simply gormandized. This is how I've always liked it, though. It was open, within a breezy atmosphere and natural crowd, and I didn't need to say one word. Jake kept me occupied most of the time when I chose not to participate in a certain topic, like the gossip one, and he and I relaxed into our own private chat.

"You'll never guess what I did for you," he blurted.

I thought for a second, sinking back into his excited eyes. I was so used to him being this way, so smug and proud, so warm and solidly cheerful. And then my eyes widened in shock and shared the excitement of his eyes instantly.

"Jake, you didn't—Oh, my—My bike?"

"Yes," he nodded fervently, "You should come by to see it!"

"Oh, I will, Jake! Thank you," I kissed him softly on the cheek and I felt his hands hold me by my arms as I did so.

I gazed at him for a while. His eyes were passionate as they planted themselves on mine. His love spiraled in all directions, and my heart ached at its unrequited fate. He knew this, however, and yet he still amends what I lack in want with how much I need him. I could never amount in debt how much I owed him. For a long time, he was all I needed – My Jacob.

"And so, Bella," someone began, "Will you riding with me home again, or…?" It was Callum, and his eyes shifted to Jacob as though that would finish his sentence. He spoke politely with an effortless smile, but his eyes were distant and blank. The sudden shift triggered a thought in me. Perhaps, I'd been wrong. Was it possible that I worried about the wrong person – that their attendance together impinged Callum more than it did Jacob? Had that been why he'd suddenly changed his mood when Jacob arrived earlier that evening? And the biggest question – Why?

"Um, yes," I found myself answering, "Yeah, I'll ride with you."

Jacob eyed us both, but this time, my eyes were set upon Callum's. He smiled and then simply looked away, nonchalantly throwing himself back to the others' conversation.

"By the way, who is he?" Jacob muttered next to me.

"New guy. His name's Callum."

"And he's already giving you free rides to places?"

"Easy, cowboy. He only offered a ride with him here, to save transportation and all. It's only natural I let him bring me home, too, Jake."

"Yeah, well… Okay," he sighed in defeat.

We both awkwardly placed ourselves in the conversation after that, uncertain of what more to say.

"And did you see her hair? It's completely bleached. Strawberry blonde, too!" Jessica was exclaiming.

I've heard this one before, about a girl named Megan Scott. She's in my English class, my Calculus class with Jessica, and finally, Spanish 2, so I knew her quite well. I figured that the center of their conversation was based on her 'transformation' as they'd called it. At the beginning of the year, Megan had dull, midnight curls that hung until the tip of her tailbone. She wasn't unattractive – and especially now after the 'transformation' – but she sure hid her face well. She was always bowing down, though her features were polite. I've always thought she was just shy. Her grades were average, and she wasn't exactly plain in taste, either. She just never wanted to stick out. To be honest, until word about her started getting out, I barely noticed her myself. Until after Winter Break, when gossip flooded the campus like wildfire. Turned out that her step-father acquired her a career in the modeling agency for a winter catalogue. They'd decided to keep her after that, and she was suddenly the new role model of town, as well. She came to school on the assigned date with her hair chopped a charming length around shoulders, bleached strawberry blonde with a hint of sandy patterns at random spaces in her hair. Her make-up was outrageous – outrageously flawless, as was she. Her clothes has also enchanted everyone since that first day. She looked… neat. I think that's the word I was looking for. With a slender body – only meaty at places it looked good at – and a tall frame, she became a full-figured character from a children's story book. Like Cinderella or even Aurora.

"Oh, yeah," Mike agreed, "She's fi—" And then I heard a thump beneath the table, followed by Mike's innocent, "What did I do?"

"It's impressive," Lauren commented, although there was a mild resentment in her voice – I knew, all to well, in fact.

"She's also altogether sweet," Angela said angelically, "She frequently helps me with Spanish."

"Perfection?" asked Tyler forwardly.

"Sounds like it," sighed Jessica. She doesn't like it, but she's not one for the story-book denials, either. If the girl's made out to be the princess, let her be the princess. I think a role as an evil step sister would do Jessica just fine, and I knew she wouldn't mind that, either. I chuckled lightly to myself at the thought. And to think, I'd probably be the Gus-Gus of the story. I chuckled again, and I felt a tighter nudge against my shoulder.

Jacob was still holding me, and I looked up at him to see his curious eyes on me. I understood in half a second – okay, minute.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's silly," I giggled.

"I can tell," he smiled, "Like you, Bella."

I smiled at him kindly, but something about the atmosphere at that exact second hardened, and my smile suddenly felt compelled to melt away.

"You two are close," Callum observed on our way home. He insisted that he had successfully memorized the full way back and therefore refused my directions.

I knew exactly who he was talking about. "Jacob's my very best friend."

"And what has he done – or who has he killed – in order to acquire such a difficult title?"

"Ha-Ha," I returned his sarcasm, "He's just done a lot for me."

"An hour from home," he smiled as he glanced at me briefly, "Remember."

I sighed. I inhaled, mentally and physically, as I began.

"There was a time in which I… fell into, well, depression, really. And that's the light way of saying it," I glanced at him for a reaction to my public "secret", but I read no meaningful expression on his face – just solid beauty and tranquility as he watched the road ahead of him. I turned my head back on the road, as well. If not from me, I'm sure he'll be able to find out from somebody else easily – the downside of Jessica's friendship.

"It was last autumn, just around the beginning of the school year. Tragedy befell on me and I've never felt so alone. Skipping way ahead, past all my emotional nonsense that even I am not quite sure enough about to explain, my dad insisted that we visit old friends one day at La Push. There, I reunited with my friend, Jacob, who I admit I hadn't really known much about before that time. Nevertheless, he smiled at me when I needed it most – he smiled at me when I frowned and cried and whined and, whatever and all that I did. Through it all, he smiled – not just smiled, but at me. As though in his sick little mind, I deserved it. I spent most of my time with him from there. He showered me with optimism and care. I remember," I chuckled at the thought of it, "I remember having slipped a plate while helping him with the dishes. I felt horrible, but he'd only looked at me and said, 'Well, now, Bella, that's cruel. Why didn't you bother to break them all so that I may be freed from the nightmare of my dad's dishes? He's home all day, eating and whatnot, and leaves his rotten work to me, the kid of the handicapped man.' And then smiled, kissing my forehead. Always kissing my forehead, holding my hands… When really, he'd held me together. He recently endured through a motorcycle I bugged him for," I exclaimed in excitement, "and I can't wait to ride it. Life is often an undefined thrill with Jacob." I heard myself fade to a whisper, and then to a stop. How long and how much had I babbled on?

"He means a lot to you," he simply said.

"You're quite observant."

He chuckled. "No, really. He does, and honestly, it's making me feel, well, maimed."

"I'm making you feel lame?"

"Technically not. He is."

"Why is that?"

"You're quite unobservant."

"I observed that much about myself, thank you very much."

He chuckled again – a beautiful chuckle, might I add.

"I'm just saying," he smiled at me sweetly, "He's a lucky guy."

"Where do you get this stuff?"

"Your eyes."

"Time, eyes… You're quite something, Callum Chandler."

He only chuckled once more.

"So what is about my eyes this time?" I pushed.

"Oh, well, only the way they smelled and felt him up. Totally alighted your care toward him."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, so how did they look at him? Geez."

"Impeccably."

I only laughed – wholeheartedly, honestly. "Okay, Callum Chandler. Impeccably, it is."

He smiled then – an impeccable smile.

And there goes chapter 3! I have no specific limit or preference toward the length of each chapter - I only go by when it seems right for me to stop. Sorry if this was too short, though. Chapter 4 will be up soon. I hope you guys are eager for it, as I am to write it. :) As usual. R&R.