PART SEVEN--
"I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?" Jacob said. I smiled and nodded, leaning over to the drivers side to give him a quick kiss. It was almost eleven o'clock, so I bounded inside the house as fast as I could. My parents asked me what happened tonight. I told them everything, minus the secrets I had to keep.
"I met all of Jacob's closest friends." I shrugged, sitting at the end of their bed, watching their blank faces stare at me. "We at hot dogs, and just sat around and talked. Jacob brought me home because he thought it was too late for me to be out." That part was a lie. My parents seemed to buy it. I was hoping they would think he was more responsible than they had taken him for. "So here I am. We really didn't do much." Another shrug and I looked up at my parents again. Their faces hadn't changed.
"School starts in about five days," Was all my father said, setting his water bottle on the nightstand next to him. Dread crawled it's way up to my throat. I was so not ready to go to school yet. "Have you met anyone from Forks? You won't be going to La Push high." I shook my head, frowning.
"No. I haven't."
"Well. You should try." I stood up, sighing. It turned into a yawn, unexpectedly. I guess I was more tired than I thought.
"I'm tired. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Night." I closed the door behind me on my way out, walking up the stairs to my bedroom. Dallas greeted me with a whine. I picked her up, cooing random nothings and kissed the top of her head. I cradled her in my arms, setting her down on my bed to change.
I didn't want to go to sleep. But I laid down in my bed anyways. Dallas's short legs trotted over to curl against my stomach. I had left my light on, but didn't bother to turn it off when I closed my eyes. I could only think about how nervous I was. For school, but mainly for Jacob talking to Bella. I didn't want it to happen. There was that chance, I thought, that maybe he'd forget about me and go back to her. Not that they were ever together anyways. Were they? I had forgotten. I wanted to see this Bella girl, to see what Jacob was missing out on, to see the difference between her and me. What Jacob had before I came along. How jealous I should really be.
I turned my head more into the pillow, even though it was harder to breathe, and squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't want to think about this anymore. I tried my hardest to fall asleep, but it just wouldn't come to me. Was it because the light was on? No. It was because my mind was awake, but my body was so drowzy. It begged for sleep, but my brain wouldn't let it. I groaned, sitting up, and curled my knees up, wrapping my arms around my legs. I rubbed my face, trying to get the feeling of sleepiness out of my eyes, but I knew it wasn't going anywhere until I was finally asleep. I looked over at my nightstand. Somewhere in it's small drawer was the phone that I never used. I hated using my cell phone, but something in me needed to see Jacob. Even though I'd just seen him a moment ago. I dug through until I found it, a plain old red flip phone and turned it on. As soon as I could, I dialed Jacob's number. I was sure he was still awake. I would take punishment from Billy.
One ring, no answer. Two. Three. Four. Five. Answering machine. I closed the phone, biting my bottom lip. I tossed the phone onto the floor. I put my face in my hands, sighing through my nose.I looked down, hearing my phone vibrate against the carpeted floor, Jacob's number sprawled across the tiny screen on the phone. I fumbled out of bed, answering it, now laying on the floor.
"Hello?"
"Did you call, Katelyin?" It was Billy. I tried to keep my voice steady.
"Um, yeah," I mumbled. "Is Jacob there?"
"No, he left just before you called."
"Do you know where he went?"
"No, I'm not sure." I sighed. "Are you alright? You sound a little distraught. Has something happened?" My voice cracked.
"No, I'm alright. I just wanted to talk to Jacob about something. Will you tell him I called, if you're still awake, when he gets home?"
"Absolutely. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Billy." I hung up the phone with a shaky sigh, looking up at the window that was directly across the room from me as lay on my side on the ground. Where did he go? I sat up, crawling over to the window and threw it open as quietly as I could. I looked out into the darkness, my light only flooding to the little area of roof outside my window. I crawled out, my bare feet touching the cold shingles. I rubbed my arms, breathing out against the cold. I sat, only praying that Jacob would show up. Where was he? My heart thudded sadly every time I thought that he might be with Bella. Though, my heart wouldn't let me beleive that Jacob would ever do anything like that to me. If he really loved me.
I'm not sure how long I sat there. It had to have been an hour. I had long layed my down in my arms, and my eyeslids started to droop. I was so sleepy...But something in me itched to see Jacob. Finally, my face rested in the comfort of my arms, and my eyes closed reluctantly. But once they were closed, it felt quite nice. I'm not sure how long I was asleep like that, but I quickly felt two hot hands on my shoulders and I jerked my head up, nearly knocking Jacob in the face with my head.
"Woah, woah, come on." He ushered me inside, though I was still half asleep. How long was I asleep out there? Time seemed to go by so quickly when sleeping. He scooped me up once inside my bedroom, and lay me down on the bed. He went to stand back up, but I reached out, expecting to grab his shirt, but he wasn't wearing one. Instead, I put both of my hands on his forearms, giving him a tug.
"No, come here," I mumbled drowsily. He let me pull him down, and he rolled over next to me. I scooted as close as I could to him, until my lips grazed his hot skin, and one of his arms lay over my shoulder. "Where were you?"
"I was out. I've been trying to call for at least thirty minutes. Billy said you called, and you sounded like you were upset." I felt him kiss my hair. "I was worried. Are you okay?" I nodded, giving him three kisses on his collar bone. He squeezed me tighter. "You sure?" I opened my eyes, his voice awakening me fully from my drowsy state. I opened my eyes, looking up at him, watching him stare down at me, concerned.
"I'm fine. I promise." I paused, breathing slowly. "I just missed you. Really bad." I kissed his chin and he smiled. "Really, really, really bad." I tried to emphasize my point, but I wasn't sure he got it. He sighed, putting a hand at the back of my head, his warm hands mingling with my black hair. It was the kind of 'I miss you' that made you want to cry, or makes you want to run a million miles to see that person. I wanted Jacob here, right now, to never move, to never leave me ever again, not even for one second. I wasn't sure of how- or what- to tell him...so I made him kiss me. That kind of kiss that made me shudder, and gave me goosebumps. The kind of kiss that made his hand trail from my side, down my leg, and hitch my leg over his side. Yes. That kind. I broke away for air.
"You missed me that much, huh?" I tilted my head back just the slightest bit when Jacob started to kiss my throat. I hummed and nodded. What time was it? Wait...why did that thought even occur to me at that moment? It was stupid of me to say that. Time didn't matter. Only Jacob did.
"Where were you..." I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to continue. I wanted it to stay just like this. "Really? Where did you go?" I pulled Jacob's face to look at mine, my thumb moving slowly on his face, to take in the softness of his skin. He sighed through his nose and only kissed me again, but my lips were unmoving beneath his. He grumbled and pulled away.
"I was going to go see Bella," He started, his words slow and reluctant. "But I changed my mind and went back home after a while." He shrugged, as if it was nothing. "Then Billy said you called, so I tried to call you back on your cell, but you didn't answer. I had to have called at least six times." I pursed my lips.
"Sorry. I fell asleep." I sighed, rolling on top of him, resting my head on his broad chest. His hands rested on my back, and I my legs fell between his. One of his hands held the back of one of mine, and he kissed my palm. I smiled, scooting up until I was close enough to kiss his lips. But I didn't. "Why didn't you go see her? Don't you want to talk to her?"
"I'm not sure. That's the thing. I don't know if I want to talk to her or not. I definitely don't want you in any of this. Alright? No snooping." I rolled my eyes. "Really, Katey, I can't have you mixed up in all of this crap. It's not normal." I sat up, still sitting on him and tried to look angry.
"Jacob, if I cared about the norm, than I wouldn't have even considered staying with you after you told me you were a werewolf." He frowned and sat up, scooting to rest his back on the wall. I snaked my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder. He sighed, squeezing me. "I don't care. I'm just...nervous."
"About what?" Jacob seemed flabbergasted and gave my stomach a push, pulling me away from him to look at his face. "What are you nervous about?"
"Well," I started, looking down at his perfectly shaped stomach. I touched his skin, the warmth a farmiliar and comforting thing. "You said you loved her before me. What if...you think of me as a mistake, and want her back? What then? What would I do?" I almost started to choke up, thinking about the outcome if what I said would be true. I looked up, my lower lip quivering and Jacob breathed out, his hot hands touching my face.
"Never," He stated quietly. "Never ever, that's never going to happen. You're mine forever." His chocolate eyes searched my watery blue one's and he sighed again. "I was...wrong, I guess, to even say that I loved Bella. Because it was nothing like this. It was nothing like us. She was nothing like you." He almost whispered the last part and I nodded. "So don't worry about anything." He smiled. "Everything's going to be fine. I promise." I breathed out shakily and nodded. Of course everything was going to be alright. Jacob loved me, he swore that, and I beleived every word that came out of his mouth.
The rest of the night was filled with kisses, sweet-talking, and Jacob telling me how much he loved me every chance he got. He told me that he couldn't tell me enough, but I knew he could. The first time was enough. Of course, it was nice to hear it plenty of times. Finally, Jacob told me he had to go.
"No." I pleaded for him to stay. Just for at least another hour. He shook his head. "Please?" He smiled down at me and bent over the bed, kissing me. I could tel he intended it to be a short kiss, but my mouth caught his in a trap. It brought him back down on the bed. I knew I could get what I wanted, just with a kiss. "Stay a little longer?" I smiled and so did Jacob. He heaved a sigh.
"Okay. A little longer." He smiled, having rolled over onto his side and I curled up under his arm.
"Good." Before I even had time to finish that one word, Jacob was on his feet and peering out the window. I crept up beside him, a hand on his warm shoulder and peered into the darkness. Of course, he could most likely see much better than myself. "Jacob?" He hushed me, giving a 'shh' sound. I pursed my lips tightly together. I heard him mutter something under his breath and he slid his body through the window. "Jacob, where are you going?"
"They're coming. I'm going as far away from you as possible. I don't want you anywhere near her." I gave him an angry glare, but he jumped down from the second story and landed crouched on his feet. I quickly shot my body through the window without thinking to put shoes on. I didn't care. I just wanted to go with Jacob. "You stay there, Katelyin." I peered over the side of the rooftop and swallowed. It was a far drop for someone as small as myself. For anyone, really. "Katey, don't even think about it."
"Here I come," I warned as queitly as I could, throwing my legs over the side. I swallowed, my skin tingling, and pushed myself off the side. My legs and back got scraped on the way down but Jacob's superhuman reflexes came in handy as he caught me.
"Go back upstairs, right now." I shook my head.
"I'm not going anywhere. I told you, I'm curious, and I'm jealous, and I want to be with you." His eyebrows knitted angrily and he set me down on the dew-covered grass. I was cold. He rubbed his face and sighed.
"Look, you're shivering. Katey, go back upstairs and I'll see you tomorrow. Please?" I shook my head. I wanted to stomp my foot, but that would seem a little too kindergarten. I took one of his hands in both of mine.
"Please, Jacob. I'll stay right with you the whole time. I won't even complain. I promise. Please?" I wanted to make my blue eyes as big and as sparkly and convincing as I could, but it was hard to in the darkness of the night. I moved closer to Jacob, the tips of my fingers trailing on his abnormally warm body from his chest to his stomach. I gave the slightest hint of a smile. He sighed and rubbed his face, giving in, very, very, reluctantly.
"But will you put some shoes and a coat on?" I nodded and he scooped me up. It was amazing what he did next, jumping right up onto the roof top with a silent thud. I crawled in through the window, sliding on a pair of vans and pulling a sweater over my head. I was wearing shorts, but honestly I didn't care as of this moment how cold I was. I was about to meet Vampires. Real live Vampires. My skin tingled with anticipation and butterflies swarmed in my stomach. My mind whirled, thinking about the childhood creature that I'd grown to fear and eventually forget. They were supposed to be fake. But apparently not. Jacob jumped down just the same way he had jumped up: easily and quietly. He insisted he carried me the whole way but I squirmed out of his hold, even though he was very warm and it was very tempting to stay in the arms of my prince charming, I slid out and onto my own two feet.
My house was fairly close to the forest. I didn't really pay attention to where we were going or how long it took to get there. The whole time all I could think about was this amazing mess I'd gotten myself into. Jacob was my boyfriend, and the most wonderful and amazing male in existance. He also happened to be a werewolf. His former crush turned out to now be a vampire. But she didn't used to be-- her vampire husband turned her. Jacob wouldn't give me any more details than that. Well, he didn't give me details about anything. We walked in silence, entering the thick woods. I had to step over fallen trees and water from heavy nightly fogs and mists accumulated on my shoes, making them slippery. Jacob kept a constant hold on my hand so I wouldn't fall completely on my face. He didn't smile the whole time, even if I laughed when I fell. Oh, well. I didn't so much understand why meeting with Vampires would be so bad, but that was for me to find out. Then again, he also wasn't too happy about me coming along. He wanted me to stay at home, but I realized that if I begged hard enough and used a quiet voice and came really close to his face, I could get anything. His mind was for me to control. It made me snicker.
"What?" He asked, turning his head in my direction. I couldn't see him that well. The moon was the only light that peered through the thick tops of the trees, so I could only see his outline. I chuckled again.
"Just thinking about something." I shrugged. "You woulndn't think it was funny."
"Oh?" He slowed down. Hopefully this would get him in a better mood. "Tell me, lets see." I was quiet for a second, thinking of how I could tell him. I tugged his hand and he stopped. I took both of his hands and craned my neck to look up at him. He was so, so, tall and so huge. He had the bodily appearance of someone close to twenty, but really he didn't act like it. He acted his age. Seventeen.
"Thinking about how I could get whatever I wanted from you." I smiled, feeling almost in control.
"Oh yeah? Why do you think that is?" I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Well, like back at my house. All I had to do was get really close, look in your eyes, and beg." I smiled, too, feeling the tension lift into the air. This was Jacob, and this was me being with Jacob. I pulled myself closer and let out the slight hint of a chuckle, doing the same thing I pictured: I put myself as close as I could to him, our bodies impossibly close to eachother. My eyes looked up where his would have been if I could see him, and I smiled. He bent down and kissed me. Just like that. So this was the power women had over men, hm? I thought that maybe I should use it more often. "Feeling any less aggrivated?" He pulled me away and left me to breathe after he kissed the breath right from my mouth. But still I couldn't stop smiling.
"Some. I still don't think you should have come." I felt him shrug and I threw my arms around his neck. He had to bend down. "But like you said, there are certain things you do." I felt his throat vibrate when he chuckled and we both fell out of the embrace. "Let's keep going. It's just a little bit farther." Jacob tensed up when he said that and I sighed, knowing that our moment had passed. I did as I had before, watching my feet-- or trying to-- to keep from tripping too much and Jacob fell silent again. All I could hear was my breathing. How far away was it?
Jacob slowed after a few more minutes of walking in the wet woods and I looked up. This was the clearing he had found me in. I scanned the area, immediately seeing the reason he tensed up so badly. Two people sat on the ground, a girl laying back against a boy's chest. They were the most beautiful people I'd seen in the world. The girl had long brown hair and it curled at the end, just slightly. She had the most perfect body I'd ever seen on a woman, even through her close perfection shone from her. Her face was gorgeous, her skin white. Her eyes were black from what I could see and under them looked almost slightly bruised. The boy was just as gorgeous. Even through his shirt I could see the muscle that his chest bore. His hair was a messy dirty blonde, thrown about in a very modelesque way, his eyes had the same darkness under them. Only, the color was almost gold, like an amber color. His skin was paper white, just like the girls. I presumed she was Bella, and she was beautiful. Both of their heads turned in our direction and I felt Jacob's hand tremble over mine. I looked up at him but all he could do was stare at the Vampire couple. I put another hand over his, moving my thumb across his skin. I wanted to stop his shaking, it was scaring me.
"That's her?" The girls voice was the only thing I could hear. It was just as gorgeous as her looks. She looked disappointed, staring at me. Almost glowering at me. I shot a dirty look back and she smiled devilishly. The boy shot out both of his hands to grab her forearms as she sat up. Bella whipped her head around, her hair a flurry of brown around her head. She grunted and looked back at me and Jacob. The sour mood seemed to drop from her face and she stood up. So did the boy. "What's your name?" I looked up at Jacob, but he didn't look at me. He only continued to look at Bella, his breath getting as shaky as his body.
"I'm Katelyin." I had to say it twice. The first time I couldn't even hear myself. I saw her smile again, but it wasn't as...menacing this time. "Are you Bella?" She almost looked shocked that I knew her name. She nodded. Her eyes, though they were still dark, seemed to soften.
"What do you think about yourself, Katelyin? About why Jacob is with you?" That was a very strange thing for her to ask. But then I remembered that Jacob loved her once. Did she ever love him back? Ever? I looked down for a second, narrowing my eyes at the ground, trying to think.
"I'm not sure," I said, looking back up. "I don't know why it's me." I looked up at Jacob and his soft brown eyes shot me a look. I saw a hint of a smile. That helped me a little. "I don't understand what would set me apart from other girls. There are so many other people so much more than I am." I shrugged.
"More what?" She raised her chin, her dark eyes seeming to stare me down. "Tell me the truth." Something in my brain clicked. What was the truth? How did I feel? I didn't know what to say, but words poured out anyway.
"I don't think I'm that good for Jacob, but when he's with me, I feel like the most important person in the world. I feel like a princess." My cheeks flushed. What was going on? It was as if the truth was being sucked right out of my mind. It was a little embarassing to say that I felt like princess. It sounded so second grade. Whatever. I continued on. "He tells me how amazing I am and how much he loves me, and I want to cry whenever he does." I saw Jacob out of the corner of my eye snap his head in my direction, as if shocked. He frowned. "Because I don't know what's going on with me. Every time he does, my heart skips a beat and I'm so confused as to why. I'm confused as to why I can't put a word on my feelings, and I hate it. But I love it, and I want to love him." I got quiet. "I think I do." It was almost a whisper. Jacob looked at me, then back at Bella and the boy she was with. She was beaming.
"You heard it, Jacob." She motioned a hand at me. "She wants to give to you what you give to her. You have yourself a keeper." Jacob smiled and threw an arm around my shoulder. "So you're happy?"
"Well, yeah." He looked at her like she was crazy. "Why wouldn't I be? I have everything I've ever wanted." His words had intended to sting her and they did. Her eyes narrowed. She turned her back to us and took long strides away, disappearing and leaving the boy behind. He spoke, his voice rhythmic and beautiful.
"I'm glad for you, Jacob." He smiled, but didn't show his teeth. "I'm glad you've healed the hole in your heart." He tilted his head towards Jacob. "Now you understand why I couldn't let her go." He flashed a real smile this time and his eyes shot to me. Goosebumps rose on my skin. His own marble skin looked so soft...I just wanted to touch it, I wanted to know what a real live vampire feels like, what he smells like, or lives like. "Take care of this pup, hm? He's very serious about you, Katey. Love him with all your heart." His eyes switched, now very sad-looking. They focused back on Jacob. "She really misses you, Jacob." With that, he, as well, turned and walked out of sight. My eyes stayed on the ground they had walked on and I slid my hand out of Jacob's and walked slowly over to where they sat. They had left imprints in the ground from where they sat and stood. Vampires, I mouthed silently to myself. Real live Vampires had been speaking to me. I blinked at the ground and sank to my knees, thinking about the words that spilled from my mouth. No, from my heart. I heard Jacob walk behind me.
"You alright?" I nodded, staring absentmindedly into nowhere and he slid to a sit beside me, a hand weaving it's way through my hair. "How'd she get all of that out of you?" I shook my head right and left, my lips parted just slightly.
"I don't know," I breathed. I blinked into the darkness the Vampires had disappeared into. "It was like...she forced it out of me. I don't know." I shrugged, continuing to shake my head. Jacob's hands placed on both of my cheeks and pulled my face to look at him. "I really don't know. I'm not even sure of what all I said." Jacob smiled, pulling me closer to him. My legs propped on either side of his waist and my hands rested on his chest. My eyes were wide and my brain frantically was working to figure out how such knowledge escaped me. I'd never been able to come up with the right words, but I did just then. Jacob kissed me once, but it wasn't even long enough for me to close my eyes. Just a peck.
"You said you almost loved me." His smile grew when he repeated the words. I nodded, looking at his face with all the seriousness I had in me. I think the only reason I said I didn't love Jacob was only because of the short time we'd been together. Three weeks, at the most. But then again, Romeo and Juliet took place in five days, maybe four. They fell in love the moment they saw eachother. That was how it was in Jacob's case; he had love at first smell. I remember he was a werewolf when he caught my scent, when he found out he loved me. He hadn't even seen my face yet, and he already loved me. But that was because of imprinting. What excuse did I have? I was only human. Weren't humans supposed to start loving eachother over the years? I loved my mother the day I learned what love is, even before, when I didn't know. So maybe I loved Jacob but just didn't know it. Time wasn't anything important in this case. No. I had decided right then and there what position I was in.
"No," I shook my head, leaning in closer to his face. "I love you. Really, for real, Jacob. I love you." My tongue tingled when I said that and my lips turned upwards into a smile. Jacob smiled too. His arms wound their way around my waist and I was so close to him it nearly hurt because of how tightly he pushed me against himself. But I didn't care. I loved him! He kissed me so much my head felt dizzy, and my lips felt numb. I was nearly gasping when it broke. But it would be stupid to do so. I breathed in slowly through my nose and Jacob kissed my throat. "I love you," I repeated. I wanted to say it over and over, because this time it was a definite. I felt him smile against the sensitive skin of my neck and he kept kissing.
"I love you too." He mumbled between kisses. So. Here we were. I had just met Vampires and had the truth stolen right from my mouth-- truth I didn't even know. I didn't even know I loved Jacob Black, the indian boy who turned out to be a werewolf. But he was mine. I had concluded that nothing else mattered when he was with me but him, and that I was allowed to love him, as long as it was the truth, and as long as it wasn't anything that would end up in disaster. I knew this wouldn't end up in disaster. I knew I loved Jacob Black, and I knew I wanted to be his forever. I wanted to get married to him, and have little indian babies, and I wanted to be his werewolf wife for all of eternity. Well, until I died, at least. I stopped thinking when I felt the pressure of Jacob's body on top of mine. Where had time gone? What had I been doing? My back was wet now from the dew of the ground, and it had soaked through the sweater. Now my back was cold, but Jacob's unnaturally hot body cured me of the shivers. He kissed wherever he could, where exposed skin showed. That was my face and neck, part of my collar bone area. "Hey," I mumbled. He hummed in response, kissing my jawline. I turned my head from him to get a break.
"Yeah?" His head sat up and I looked up at him, how his hair fanned around his face and was wild and wiry, but reached his chin. It was getting long. Maybe once it had been longer...I don't know.
"Let's go." I smiled and wiggled my way out from under him. He scooped me off his feet, giving me one last kiss before we started the walk home. All around, today had been a very productive day, and I enjoyed it probably more than I'd enjoyed in a lot of things. I just couldn't wait for what more time with Jacob would bring.