Hope you like it! Sorry it took a bit longer than some of my others.
Jake
Angela's eyes were bloodshot and teary, her face splotchy and her mouth quivering. No one had ever looked so beautiful. I was about to reach out to comfort her when she screamed, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" What happened? Why did she hate me? What in the world had I done to be thus banished from her presence? I felt my heart fill with agony, and I forced my eyes away from her lovely face- if I allowed myself another look, I would surely fall at my feet and desperately beg her to let me stay. I silently turned away- I could not trust my voice. I almost collapsed from the pain. Then, I heard her calling to me like an angel might.
"Wait Jake, I didn't mean…I thought you were…I…please…stay with me…don't leave me…"
I stopped in my tracks, relief washing over me, and ran back to her doorstep. "I'll always be there for you, Angela. Always."
After a few eternal moments, she smiled at me and said, "Thanks, Jake. Listen, do you… want to take a walk with me? It's such a nice day."
Anything she wanted to do was fine with me. "Sure," I said.
"Uh, wait here. I'll just be a minute," she told me, closing the door abruptly.
"I'll wait as long as you want," I said quietly, more to myself than to her.
Angela
Oh my god, I can't believe I just told Jake to leave me alone. He must think I'm insane! Why am I always crying when I see him? I look like a wreck. His face expressed silent pain, and I realized that he thought I hated him, while in fact the opposite was true. Before I knew what was happening he was turning away from me. I tried desperately to find my voice. "Wait Jake, I didn't mean…I thought you were…I…please…stay with me…don't leave me…"
To my relief, he returned to me and clasped my hands in his. "I'll always be there for you, Angela. Always," he said, looking deep into my eyes with a fiery intensity that melted my body and my soul. After trying desperately to solidify myself, I managed to get my brain in working order again.
"Thanks, Jake. Listen, do you… want to take a walk with me? It's such a nice day." I nervously hoped he would say yes.
"Sure," he agreed, and my heart fluttered. I had to calm down.
"Uh, wait here. I'll just be a minute," I promised, and rushed inside before my legs gave out. I leaned against the closed door, trying to clear my head. I ran upstairs in a frenzy, doing everything I could to erase any trace of tears. There was only so much I could do, but finally I thought I looked halfway presentable. I practically flew down the stairs, took a few deep breaths, and opened the door.
Jake
I waited patiently for Angela to appear; when she did, I was knocked breathless. Angela was glorious in the sunlight. Her brown hair had streaks of gold in it that shone in the summer light. Her tearful expression was replaced by a shimmering smile. I felt a longing to run my hands up and down the length of her smooth tan arms. We both reached for each other's hand at exactly the same moment. She and I strolled along the sidewalk, admiring the weather (though I was much more interested in admiring her.) I asked her questions about her life, her family, her hopes, her opinions… everything. She told me what had happened between her and Ben, how he had changed, had started taking her for granted. I randomly asked her what her favorite animal was, and she said, smiling, "That would be wolves, definitely. Do you know anything about wolves?"
Angela
Jake was standing in exactly the same position as I had left him. He gazed at me with a glowing smile on his face, the sort of smile that makes it impossible not to smile in return. The warmth of his hand wrapped around mine felt bewilderingly perfect. As we walked along in the sunshine, Jake and I talked so long and so intensely that one might think we had known each other all our lives. When he asked me what my favorite animal was, I responded, "That would be wolves, definitely. Do you know anything about wolves?"
"No! I mean uh, well, yes, I sort of do, um…" He seemed unnecessarily nervous. I squeezed his hand to attempt to reassure him. He smiled at me and then said, looking at me with those impossibly warm eyes "What do you like about them?"
"I don't know, really… I just always thought they were exciting, sort of wild and untamed but still, you know, cuddly…" I felt slightly embarrassed at how much I was talking, but he seemed more vitally interested in this than in any other topic we had discussed today. I continued, "When I was little, I had a puppy named Casey, and I used to pretend that he was a wolf, and that we were…exploring… in our backyard. When I got older, I started doing research about wolves, learning as much as I could about them. Now, I'm really into environmentalism, and that sort of thing, and I've started a club at Forks High called 'Save the Olympic Wolf.' You might have seen our flyers around town." He smiled to himself at this, for some unknown reason. Then he asked, "Have you ever seen one? A wolf, I mean." "No, actually, but I've always wanted to. Though, I'm afraid it would be… dangerous… posters and stuffed animals aren't the same as the real thing." He sighed at this, looking conflicted for some reason, and then said, "Trust me, Angela, a wolf…would not hurt you." "What do you mean?" I asked. "Wolves are protectors. If you ever see a wolf around here, know that it will not harm you, that it will keep you safe." What he was saying was hard to believe – a wild animal as a protector? As something to trust? – I believed it nevertheless, since the fire in his gaze was impossible to doubt. "That's good to know," I said. "I would hate to fear something I loved." This remark, inexplicably, caused him to wrap his arms around me in a tight embrace that would have been painful if it wasn't so perfect. His warmth nearly overwhelmed me, and I wanted to stay there forever. Over the staccato drumming of my heartbeat, I suddenly heard someone shout, "Angela! Hi!" I turned around, and ran towards my closest friend, saying, "Bella! I haven't seen you in forever!"
Jake
Wolves. Her favorite animal was wolves! What did this mean for us? She asked, "Do you know anything about wolves?" I couldn't breathe. I wondered if she guessed the truth, but she looked at me with that glorious, innocent expression, and I had to answer her. "No! I mean uh, well, yes, I sort of do, um…" I was rambling. Shut up, Jake! I told myself. I felt confused – I had not planned on telling her yet. She squeezed my hand, sensing my distress, and I felt my heart flutter. I smiled, looked deep into her beautiful eyes, and asked her, "What do you like about them?"
She responded, "I don't know, really… I just always thought they were exciting, sort of wild and untamed but still, you know, cuddly…"
I smiled – cuddly! How cute. She continued, "When I was little, I had a puppy named Casey, and I used to pretend that he was a wolf, and that we were…exploring… in our backyard. When I got older, I started doing research about wolves, learning as much as I could about them. Now, I'm really into environmentalism, and that sort of thing, and I've started a club at Forks High called 'Save the Olympic Wolf.' You might have seen our flyers around town." I smiled at that. How strange fate is! I wondered if she had ever run across one of our pack-members in wolf form "Have you ever seen one? A wolf, I mean." She replied, "No, actually, but I've always wanted to. Though, I'm afraid it would be… dangerous… posters and stuffed animals aren't the same as the real thing." I sighed, trying to decide what to say, what to tell her. I hated that she thought of wolves – of me – as dangerous. I said to her, trying to make her believe it, "Trust me, Angela, a wolf…would not hurt you." She looked at me questioningly, saying, "What do you mean?" I tried to explain it, but my heart felt ready to burst. She had to know this was true. "Wolves are protectors. If you ever see a wolf around here, know that it will not harm you, that it will keep you safe." That was all I could tell her, now. I didn't know if she trusted me yet, but maybe she would grow to. Then she surprised me. As I felt myself falling into her gaze, she said, "That's good to know. I would hate to fear something I loved." I could not stop myself from wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. What a thing to say! What an amazing girl. I knew, right then, that I would tell her about the werewolves as soon as I could. I heard someone shout, "Angela! Hi!" The next thing I knew, Angela was gone. I looked around, and saw Angela hugging someone – Bella. Seeing her was such a strange feeling. There was still affection in my heart for her, of course, but it was nothing compared to my feelings for Angela. Angela was the girl I couldn't take my eyes off, as she laughed and talked with her best friend. I walked over to them, trying to hear what they were saying. Bella said, "I'm so sorry about how Ben treated you. He was a jerk. You deserve better." As Bella hugged her comfortingly, she looked at me and mouthed, "You and her…" "Imprint," I whispered. She gasped, and smiled. "Does she know?" she asked. I shook my head. Bella hugged Angela tighter, and then released her from her grip. "So, Angela, I see you've met my old friend Jake." She smiled, but I could tell she was curious. "Just recently," Angela said, grinning, "we met in La Push yesterday." "How are you doing, Jake?" Bella asked me. "I'm… great," I said, meaning it. I was glad this potentially awkward situation was turning out fine. Not totally comfortable, to be sure, but not… unpleasant.
But my mood changed completely when Bella said to Angela, "Alice has been begging me for a sleepover. Would you come? We were thinking of having it tonight, at the Cullen's." Angela eagerly agreed. I had to fight not to let out a wolfy growl. It was bad enough having Bella around those bloodsuckers all the time – I couldn't stand for Angela to be around them. What if they hurt her? I couldn't stand it. I wouldn't allow it. I interrupted their discussion of plans for the night, saying harshly, "Bella, can I speak with you for a minute? Urgently."
So, yeah, I couldn't resist tying this into the story. Those were the same posters that prompted Bella to go to La Push in Eclipse. Funny how that works...