So much was happening in the milliseconds as we both sensed the door of the house opening. My heart started to race at a billion miles an hour. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was so scared for Jacob. I didn't care what happened to me as long as he was okay. I couldn't be without him. I needed him like I needed air to breathe with.
Jacob sensed my fear and held me closer to him while whispering into my ear, "Calm down. I'm here." And that was the problem though. He was here, with me and it scared me to even think what could happen to him.
We both looked up as the door opened fully, ever so slowly, as if to taunt me. A chill went down my spine with seeing my father in the door way, fuming, almost snarling. My worst nightmare was coming true right before my eyes and I didn't know what to do about it. I wanted to go back in time and try and stop this from happening.
Jacob pulled me into his side, in a protective manner before taking a cautious step backwards. His body began to shake against me, but he was trying to keep himself calm and control the situation. I shook my head while leaning into his side. Everything in my life seemed to have fallen apart when we had moved here. It felt like I had lost everything in my life I knew so well. Then I met Jacob, and things seemed to go back to how they felt they should be, but now, it was all falling apart around me again. So many things were going through my head, and all of it was what ifs.
This can't be happening, I thought with closing my eyes. I looked up to Jacob and saw his jaw clenched hard and tight as his gaze stayed fixed on Aaron. I could sense the light and yet small amount of fear Jacob was feeling. He let me go slightly and put out his arm out while pushing me back, making his body the shield between Aaron and him.
"What . . . are . . . you . . . doing . . . with my daughter, mut?" Aaron said in an acid tone with his jaw tightly clenched – more so than Jacob's even.
"Jacob, you need to leave. Please," I whispered. His gaze shot down to me with shock in his eyes.
"I'm not leaving you here with, them," he said in a husky murmur.
"You need to," I said almost silently, while holding his gaze. "Please."
Jacob's gaze shifted from me to over his shoulder for a second and then back to me. He was still shaking violently and trying to keep it under control the best he could, but my words for him to leave me didn't help anything. His eyes shut in trying to gain more focus. His jaw was set as I saw Embry now just standing behind him, eyeing us and trying to work out what was happening. I could see he was staying wary of my father too.
I looked to Aaron and he was none too pleased. His eyes had turned completely black, and he second my eyes touched his, he caught my gaze. "Come on Jade," he said sternly, stepping forward and grabbing me by the wrist.
Jacob's eyes flashed open the instant Aaron took hold of me. He snarled and pushed Aaron back away harshly while staring him in the eye. "Take your hands off her!" he snapped with another fierce growl.
"Jake calm down!" Embry said with urgency and took a hold of Jacob's shoulders, making him take a step back. I then saw a woman and Seth running up to the steps of the house from the forest. The woman had straight black hair and had the same russet skin as Jacob. I guessed it was Leah.
"Jacob, step back," she ordered and grabbed onto Jacob's wrist.
He looked to me with intense worried eyes while biting his lower lip. "Jacob, go, please," I whispered again. He nodded without saying a word, and then broke the gaze between us slowly. I couldn't help but think there was a message in how he had gazed at me before breaking away. I watched as he started to walk away from the house with Embry, Seth and Leah following not far behind.
Aaron took my wrist again, but I pulled away with deciding something. "Jacob!"
He turned around as I ran up to him quicker than it was possible for Aaron to stop me. I couldn't leave things like this. I couldn't leave Jacob thinking this was it between us, just because Aaron had caught us. I didn't care what Aaron thought, or the pack for that matter.
His arms wrapped around me tightly as my arms wrapped around his neck and kissed him like I hadn't ever kissed before, like it was going to be our last kiss, because it could have very well been. I didn't want to put Jacob in danger with Aaron and I knew he didn't want to do the same to me. I knew Jacob well enough to know he would do anything to keep me safe, even if that meant leaving me. I just hoped it didn't come to that.
His lips moved against mine so swiftly and tenderly. It was heated, it was passionate, it was urgent, it was strong, it was tender, it was sweet, and it was us. There wasn't anything about Jacob and I, I would ever change. We were how I wanted us to be . . . I just wished things between my family and their ideas could have been different. It would have been easier then, for the both of us.
My heart started to race again as I felt him pulling away slowly. What was left of my breath was shaky against his lips. He was just centimetres away from me. "I'll love you no matter what Jade," he whispered huskily and lightly against my mouth.
"I love you too Jacob."
His hands came up to my jaw, holding me softly as he placed another sweet and tender kiss on my lips. I could feel the tears now threatening to over flow and run down my cheeks. This couldn't be it for us. We were meant to be together, I truly believed it. But now . . . fate was pulling us apart. If I knew how to fight it, I would have been already, but I didn't know how to fight something like this, nor did Jacob.
"Koo cloak lay," he said after a moment of staring into my eyes. I looked up to him with wonder of what he had told me in Quileute, but the second my eyes connected to his, he pulled away and ran towards the forest with the others following him quickly. For the milliseconds I had looked into Jacob's eyes, I saw both fear and sadness – the very same sadness I used to see when we had first met.
I bit my lip with seeing him go. I felt different with watching him leave like that. I felt like a part of me was now missing, and I couldn't explain why or what it was.
I turned around and headed towards the house. Aaron was still standing on the veranda, now with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, watching me with piercing eyes, but I didn't care. Nothing could cut me up any more than I already was. He glared me down as I walked up the steps towards him, but I didn't look up to meet his gaze. I was too caught up with what had just happened was all real. It felt like some bad nightmare I couldn't wake up from. It was impossible.
"What were you thinking Jade?" he shouted as I reach for the door to go inside and go back to bed. I should have known better than to think that I was just grounded and it would be left at that, without words been said.
I scoffed bitterly. "What was I thinking? I was thinking about having a normal sixteen year old life for once!"
I shouted while opening the door and slamming it behind me. I then saw my mum walking down the stairs with Katherine right behind her. Great, I thought and leaned against one of the chairs in the kitchen. I knew I was never going to hear the end of this and there was no way of escaping boarding school now. The things Jacob made me do without even knowing. . . though I wouldn't have done it with anyone else I had met in my life, if I could change the things I had done with him, I wouldn't have changed a thing. I didn't regret a thing I had done with him. In fact, I wished I could do it all over again, and again.
"What's going on?" my mum asked, looking to me and then to Aaron as he walked inside.
"I caught Jade making out with a boy outside," he stated harshly.
I rolled my eyes with hearing him. He would say anything to make it worse for me. "We weren't making out!" I snapped.
My mum's eyes went to shock with hearing and trusting Aaron's word. It didn't seem to matter what Aaron did – cheating or not – she always took his word over mine. It drove me crazy when it happened. He had done so much to her, and yet she still trusted every lying word that came out of his leech mouth!
"Jade! What have I told you about boys-"
I had to cut her whole 'they're all the same' lecture off before she got started. It was just another thing I was sick of hearing. "Why don't you let me live my own life for once and find out for myself if they all like that? Jacob is not like that! He saved my life, more than once, and he's been hurt by a girl. He wouldn't ever do that to me!" I shouted. I was sick of being protected like a two year old. I was old enough to take my own life into my hands!
My mum seemed to have calmed down after hearing Jacob had saved my life. I hadn't meant to say it as I had no idea of how to explain it without spilling the beans on the whole werewolf and vampire secret. Why did my life have to be so damn hard lately? It would have been so much easier if I could have just told the truth.
"How did he save your life?" she questioned, looking me directly in the eye. I had to think fast, so I decided to tell the 'remotely' human truth.
"A guy ganged up on me in Forks and Jacob got me out of there safely," I lied. I knew though, if it wasn't for Jacob, I wouldn't be here today. An image suddenly flashed before my eyes. There were two wolves that had saved me, not just one – not just Jacob. I started to wonder who else was there with him. I could remember its coat was a grey colour. Maybe it was Paul. I shook my head mentally. Trying to remember each of their coat colours was just too much for my mind to handle. All I needed to know was Jacob's pelt didn't I? His russet warm coat. . .
"When did this all happen, Jade?" my mother asked, mortified.
"A couple of days after you left. . ." I trailed off, knowing I was really going to hear it now.
I heard my mother gasp in shock and my father hiss. I grimaced in their response. I was just waiting to hear the words of boarding school.
"Why didn't you call me? What if that guy came after you again? I thought you were more responsible than that Jade," mum said in a disappointed tone while looking at me. I looked away and stared at the floor without looking up to anyone. I could feel all eyes were on me, and I hated the feeling. I felt like I was the green alien in the room – a freak show.
I stayed silent with not being able to come up with an excuse for not calling my mother. I knew I should have, but there wasn't really any need. I had both Emily and Jacob looking after me at the time and I knew I could trust Jacob and anyone he trusted – not that I could tell my parents he and Emily were looking after me. I knew he wouldn't ever do wrong by me – and don't ask me how I knew that with only knowing him for a couple of hours back then, cause I don't even have a clue!
The room stayed quiet for a while, in awkward silence. "Get to bed Jade," mum said quietly. Without saying anymore, I ran up to my room and slammed the door behind me while locking it. I leaned up against the door with feeling my knees going weak and stared up at the ceiling with tears slowly running down my cheeks. Why couldn't my mum understand what Jacob and I had? Why couldn't she see that not all guys were like Aaron? It wasn't fair! I always seemed to suffer for the things he did!
After a while, I staggered into my bed and pulled my pillow closer to me than usual. I could smell the faint fragrance of Jacob's woods musky scent from a couple of nights ago. I was already missing him and wishing he was there with me, with his warm arms wrapped tightly around me and making me feel safe.
It took a while for me to fall asleep, but shortly after I had, I was waken by hearing my parents talking, and it wasn't anything I wanted to hear.
"I don't know what to do with her Aaron. She's changed since she's came here. She never did want to move here," my mother said quietly. I didn't know where in the house they were talking, but I could hear each and every one of her words like she was in my room speaking.
"Maybe, she should go into an all girls boarding school for a while," she then added.
My eyes flashed open with hearing her words. I had thought it would come to this, but when I heard the actual words, it seemed to have had a bigger impact than I had first thought it would. I couldn't go to boarding school. I couldn't! I needed to be with Jacob, right or wrong!
Quietly, I got up and dressed. It was almost dawn and I didn't care if Dan found me. I needed to find Jacob and talk to him. I snuck out of the house without making too much noise for my father to realize what I was doing.
Once on the edge of the forest of the back yard, I ran as fast as I could through the greenery. I only had a faint idea where I was going to La Push, but I was sure I was heading the right way. Though, I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep fighting my tiredness off.
Every now and then I would have to stop to just try and gain focus on where I was. My eyes were so tired it was hard to keep them open while running. They felt so heavy like the rest of my body, but then, finally I saw Jacob's house. There was only one light on inside, but it was enough to tell me someone had to be home.
A small sound from the side of the forest on my right caught my attention. I looked up and saw Jacob walking out of the greenery with just some jeans on. He was heading towards the house slowly, his eyes fixed on the house, but looking frustrated at the same time, until I shouted out to him.
"Jacob!" I smiled with seeing him. It felt like it was too good to be true to see him there in front of me. I thought we wouldn't see each other again after last night. With hearing my voice, he looked up and met my gaze. A wide smile came to his face with seeing me and started to run towards me. The look of frustration had fully disappeared now.
"Jade, what are you doing here?" he asked huskily once I was in his arms. He picked me up into his arms with sensing just how tired I was. My arms wrapped around his neck as I leaned into his warm chest while sobbing both happy and sad tears at the same time. It was just so nice to be back in his arms again, but at the same time, I wished it was still like it had been this time yesterday – without my parents knowing about us.
"My parents are talking about sending me to boarding school," I mumbled into his chest.
"So," he murmured softly, brushing his lips over mine. "I can visit you without your parents knowing if that happened. I might even be able to go too." His voice was so quiet and against my mouth. With his lips lightly touching mine and the lack of sleep I had, it was all making it hard to think clearly.
"It's an all girls boarding school Jacob. You can't go."
He sighed and looked away for a moment. "We'll work things out, you know that," he whispered and kissed me softly. "C'mon you need sleep."
I looked up to him with hearing the word sleep. It sounded all too good within that moment, and by the looks of it, Jacob hadn't slept yet either. He looked tired.
"So do you," I murmured. He smiled slightly and let out a small yawn while heading towards the house. Somewhere between Jacob walking into the house and then into his room, I must have fallen asleep, because the last thing I remembered was leaning into his chest and then waking back up as he placed me softly down into a bed. I smiled slightly with sleep still making my brain foggy. I felt the warmth of blankets being pulled up over me and then slow and quiet footsteps leaving the room. My eyes flashed open the instant I realized Jacob was leaving. My hand grabbed his warm and smooth skin of his wrist as he looked down to me.
"Please don't leave Jacob," I whispered with sleep also coating my voice. He smiled lightly down upon me and ran his hand down the side of my face.
"My dad will kill me," he murmured huskily.
"We're not doing anything wrong. Please."
With a single light sigh, he shook his head and gave in to my wishes. I smiled as I leaned into his side and felt his arms wrapping around me as he laid down beside me, and kept me close to his side. He pulled the blankets over me as my head rested on his shoulder and fell to sleep to the sound of his soft breathing.