Thanksgiving
When momma, daddy and I arrived at the house from the cottage, Alice was decorating the family room which now had an enormous table in it. Daddy had a small smile on his face and so did momma. They obviously knew something I didn't. Daddy read my thoughts.
"We're hosting Thanksgiving this year. Jacob and a few of his pack members and their family are spending Thanksgiving with us. Charlie is coming too." Alice was already setting the table.
"When is it?"
"Friday. Everyone's arriving tomorrow at noon or one." Daddy chuckled at my next thought.
"Then why is Alice setting the table now?" Momma laughed too.
"You know how Alice is. She's always looking for an opportunity to overdo things. If Carlisle would let her, I guarantee you she would have a live turkey running around." We all laughed. Alice just stuck her tongue out at us and continued what she was doing. Jasper was helping her arrange everything without a shred of complaint.
I looked around the room looking for Jacob. He had said that he would be coming today. It was the afternoon. Jacob usually got off of work by five. Daddy ended my search.
"He couldn't come today, Nessie. He's working overtime so he can have time off for Thanksgiving. He called earlier today letting us know." That bummed me out. I hated his job sometimes. I was glad he was at least doing what he loved. He always seemed happiest whenever he was fixing and rebuilding cars. Whenever daddy let Jacob look around his cars or drive them, he seemed to purr. But whenever it took more of his time than it already did, it bothered me.
"I see. Doesn't everyone get the day off for Thanksgiving?" Daddy shook his head.
"Not necessarily honey. People don't wait until it's convenient for others to be stupid or reckless. The people who work on Thanksgiving usually don't have family to celebrate it with, so they work. In some places they make the ones taking the day off work overtime to make up for the time they're missing."
"They don't make Carlisle do that." Daddy laughed lightly.
"That's the good thing about being a Doctor, you tend to be treated better." I heard Carlisle laugh in the other room. I went into the TV room where Rosalie and Emmett were. We had all hunted yesterday to prepare for today, especially Jasper. So no one was worried about tomorrow. They were watching the news. I snatched the remote from Emmett like I often did.
"Hey. I'm watching this." I giggled.
"Well, now you're not." Daddy chuckled lightly in the other room and Emmett growled. I started surfing through the channels looking for something entertaining to watch. Emmett snatched the remote back from me and turned it back to his channel. I snatched the remote back and started looking from the channel I left off at. Emmett lunged at me to get back the remote. Rosalie was laughing while Emmett and I fought for control over the remote.
"Come on Emmett, you've been watching the news for hours. Let me watch something." Emmett practically growled.
"I'm still watching this. I'll let you have it after I watch the O'Reily Factor." I finally gave up and let Emmett have the remote. He changed the channel back to where it was. Emmett gave me a cocky smile and I glared at him. I walked to the family room, now dining room. I took out my cell phone so I could call Jacob. I wanted to complain to someone. I heard daddy call me from the other room.
"You're not allowed to call him while he's at work. His boss will get mad at him. You can complain to him at ten if you still want to." I heard Emmett's bursting laughter. I shut my phone and went to the family room. Alice and Jasper had finished setting the table to her liking. Alice smiled at me when she saw me.
"So are we preparing any of the food?" Alice nodded head.
"We're handling all the deserts and everything is being cooked at our house. Sue said she was bringing the turkey." I nodded back at her.
"What are we making besides the obvious pumpkin pie?"
"A cheesecake and a chocolate cake. That way everyone has something they like. And we bought a can of cherries and strawberries to put on top of the cheesecake." I nodded again. I was really bored now. Since Jacob wasn't coming today, I didn't have much to do. Emmett and Rosalie were busy watching the O'Reily Factor and momma and daddy were playing scrabble and having a pleasant conversation while doing so. Carlisle and Esme were upstairs in Carlisle's office. They were talking about something private, so it would be best not to disturb them. Once Alice and Jasper were done with the table settings, they joined Emmett and Rosalie.
With nothing better to do, I went to the music room and started playing the piano. While playing the piano, I got an idea. Jacob might not be able to take calls, but we could always text. The beauty of technology. Daddy undoubtedly heard my thoughts and didn't say anything. I took out my phone and found Jacob's number.
I hear you needed to work overtime today. How's work going? After I pressed send, I continued playing the piano. I had the ringer on low so it wouldn't bother anyone. I played two songs before I heard my phone ring. Jacob had texted me back.
Pretty good. Thankfully, I'm not the only one who's working longer hours today.
That's good. Anything interesting happen today? I played another song before he responded.
Actually, yeah. We had a car brought in that had its entire left side torn off. Apparently, some guy had been drinking and he hit the left side of the guys car. The drunk drivers car hit a pole, so it was irreparable and taken to the junkyard.
That's unfortunate. How much are the repairs for the guys car going to cost? I waited through three songs before he was able to text back.
$5,700. And that's with assistance from his insurance company. He was yelling at me earlier about how absurd the price was. I just told him to sue the guy that hit his car if he doesn't want to pay for it. I laughed lightly to myself.
Lol. Does he plan too? I played a few more songs before he answered.
Hells yeah. He was screaming at me about it while walking out of the shop. I flipped him off while he wasn't looking, so I feel better.
Shame on you. Hope that he really didn't see you doing that. He doesn't sound like he's in the mood for a mechanic's attitude. I waited through one song.
Don't worry, he didn't. He was storming for the Taxi when I did that. It's people like him that make me hate my job sometimes. It's not my fault your car's damaged and that it'll cost a lot to repair it. Don't yell at me like it is. I laughed lightly again.
So what time will you be here tomorrow? I played a few Disney favorites before he answered.
I'm coming with Seth and Sue. So we'll be there at noon. Leah's having dinner with a friend of hers in Seattle. It honestly bothered me that Leah hated me so much. Jacob insists that she doesn't, but I know she does. I wondered if she hated me or if it was my family in general she hated. Whatever it was, she wasn't subtle about it.
Okay. Sounds good. I hadn't expected him to respond, much less call me. My phone rang and I answered it.
"Hey, Nessie. I just got off. How has your day been?" I laughed lightly.
"Pretty boring. Emmett and I fought over the remote earlier. I lost obviously. So I've just been playing the piano all day." Jacob laughed lightly.
"Don't worry, we'll keep you entertained tomorrow."
"Thanks. So other than the guy that was yelling at you, how was your day?"
"It was okay. Other than the guy with half a car, everything was pretty usual. Oil changes, tires being changed and so on." I smiled. He really did love cars. He seemed to have an odd glee to his voice whenever he talked about them.
"That sounds good. Are you planning on coming over now?" Jacob sighed.
"I asked but Edward said not to. I got off pretty late and he didn't want me keeping you up all night doing nothing. So I won't see you until tomorrow." I laughed. That sounded like something daddy would do. I didn't argue about it though.
"Oh well. I guess we can't torment Rosalie." I heard a hiss from the TV room. I laughed lightly. I never really tormented Rosalie. I only laughed at Jacob's many blonde jokes. Rosalie adored me. She liked Jacob too, not that she would ever admit to it.
"Yeah. Doesn't mean I can't tell you a quick blonde joke before I let you go." My smile widened.
"Let's hear it."
"Okay, how do you know that a blonde has been in your office?" I shrugged.
"I don't know. How?" I felt his smile.
"There's white out all over your computer." I laughed. This was kind of our thing. It wasn't purely blonde jokes that we told to each other, but they made up the bulk of our jokes. And we usually told these jokes to each other when Rosalie was nearby. As much as Rosalie and Jacob refused to admit it, they were friends. That's the only reason Rosalie tolerates it.
"Nice one. Did Seth tell you that one?" He chuckled.
"Embry, actually. You can always count on him to have good jokes on hand." We both laughed. "Well, Nessie, I better let you go. You know I can't drive and talk on the phone at the same time." We both laughed lightly again. One time, while Jacob was driving over, he had called my phone letting me know he was on his way. We ended up getting into a conversation. He became so engrossed with our conversation that he stopped paying attention to the road and nearly got into an accident. It took awhile before that incident was funny, but now it was.
"Yeah, I know. So I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow. Night Nessie."
"Night Jacob." With that we both hung up. I continued to play the piano for a few more hours before I started getting tired. I put the piano cover down and rested my head on it. As soon as I started thinking about how tired I was, I heard daddy approach me and put his hand on my shoulder.
"Would you like to go home now?" I didn't really feel like talking at the moment. I was feeling really, really tired.
You and momma can stay here. I'll go back to the cottage by myself. I'll be fine. Daddy shook his head.
"No. Your momma and I will take you home. We don't need to be here to keep ourselves occupied." Momma smacked daddy's arm when he chuckled lightly. I didn't get the undertone of what daddy was saying and I didn't care. I was far too tired. I nodded my head.
Okay. If you want to. Daddy helped me off of the piano bench so I could get my balance when I was standing. Once I had back my balance, momma, daddy and I started walking towards the cottage. Momma and daddy were holding hands and I stood close by them.
It always made me happy that momma and daddy were so happy together. Whenever Emmett did let me have the remote, I would sometimes see movies or shows where the couples are unhappy and doing all sorts of things to each other. I was glad that my parents weren't like that. They loved each other and would never want to be with anyone else. I was truly fortunate. I only hoped I could have something that special one day. Daddy smiled at my thoughts and squeezed momma's hand.
Once we got to the cottage, momma and daddy sat on the couch close together and started talking pleasantly. I went to the bathroom and took a shower. Before going into the shower, I put my stool in front of the mirror and counter in my bathroom. On my own, my head just barely rose above the countertop. I could never reach anything that was laying around without my stool. And nobody had been expecting me, and hence didn't think to put useable cabinets on the counter. They had offered to make some, but I told them not to bother. I wouldn't need them in a few short years anyway.
I hated being short. I was still slightly shorter than Alice. Momma always promised me that I would get taller, but I still hated being short. Momma was 5' 6" and daddy was 5' 10", so that at least gave me hope that I would grow a little more. Alice was short too, but she looked like a woman at least. A very small one, but a woman non-the-less. I looked like a child. I looked the same as any ten or eleven year old.
My growth spurt had slowed significantly in the past few months. I shot up to the height I was at, then suddenly I stopped. I was still growing according to Carlisle's measurements, but the changes were so minimal now that even momma and daddy had to look twice to really notice any change. I was smarter than the average ten and eleven year old, but I still looked like one. I was only a year old, but still. It bothered me.
I got into the shower and washed my hair and such. I had went through several different body washes, never liking any of them. One day I found a body wash that smelled fruity and I actually liked it. It was a milky peach smell. Jacob liked it. He told me it emphasized the scent I had on my own, so I used this one. I always liked it when he liked something I did or used. For some reason, it always bothered daddy when my thoughts started expressing that. I didn't understand why. Jacob was my best friend. But whenever I asked him he always told me the same thing.
"It's too soon to explain any of this to you. I know that you know that Jacob imprinted on you, but I also know that you don't fully understand what that means. I would rather it stay that way for the time being. Jacob will explain everything to you when the time is right." Daddy would say. Momma always nodded her head in agreement.
When I finished my shower, I washed my face and brushed my teeth with my face close to the mirror. Once I had all of that done, I went to my room and went under the covers. Momma and daddy came into my room and kissed me goodnight. I said the same to them and they left the room to go back to what they had been doing. I took out my phone to send one last text to Jacob for the night.
Goodnight, Jacob. I'll see you tomorrow. About five minutes later, he texted me back.
It's two in the morning, Nessie, and I'm trying to sleep. Go to bed. Sweet dreams. I giggled to myself. I knew it was Seth's night to handle patrol, so I knew he would answer my text. That and he never had his phone on silent or on vibrate unless he was at work. Silly Jacob.
Sweet dreams Jacob. I got a response two minutes later. I hadn't been expecting one.
Shhh. Sleepy time. I giggled and didn't right anymore. I can only imagine how tired he was. I laid in bed until I finally went to sleep. When I woke up that morning, the sun was covered by a layer of clouds, but it was still high in the sky. What time was it? Daddy answered me from the other room.
"It's eleven thirty, Nessie. You've been asleep most of the morning." I heard momma and daddy laugh. I groaned, rubbed my face, and forced myself out of bed. I sat on the side of my bed and stretched out all the kinks from the night before. I went to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. When that was done, I combed the tangles out of my hair until it was smooth. I went back to my room and got dressed. I wore a pair of blue jeans and a white turtleneck sweater.
I starred at myself in my full length mirror trying to think of what to do with my hair. I wanted to wear my plumeria comb. I ended up going with a crown ponytail and putting the comb where the rubber band held my hair in place. I walked out of my room, down the short hallway and into the living room. When I got in the room, I saw momma and daddy sitting close together, faces close and strange contented smiles on their faces. Daddy turned his face to look at me.
"Let's get going, Nessie. Everyone will start arriving soon." I nodded my head. Daddy and momma rose from the couch and I followed them out the door and to the house. When we arrived at the house, I was bombarded with sweet smells. I smelled the pie and the cakes that were for later. Sam and Emily had already arrived. Mikey was in a cute little pair of overalls. I went over to them.
"Hey Sam, Emily." The smiled at me. I got close to Mikey and started tickling his tummy while rubbing his nose with mine. He always smiled when I did that, just as he was now. "And how are you doing Mikey?" He was smiling away. I was the only one who called him Mikey, but I was sure everyone would start calling him that soon.
"We haven't seen you in a while, Nessie. How've you been." I smiled at Sam while still tickling Mike.
"I'm great. Nothing really new going on though. I did have a little fight with Emmett yesterday over the remote." I heard Emmett's laugh from none other than the TV room watching a football game. Sam and Emily laughed lightly.
"No, don't worry, Nessie. Emily and I do that all the time. I want to watch football and she wants to watch a soap." Emily gave Sam a teasingly evil glare.
"They aren't soaps. They're reality cooking shows. Top Chef happens to be one of my favorite shows." Sam rolled his eyes, but in a loving manner. I giggled, then gave all my attention back to their son. Mikey was playing with my hair now. He would always either pull gently on it or he would curl it around his little fingers. The boy really was adorable. I didn't look away from him.
"So, Sam, how has life without fazing been treating you?" Sam chuckled a little.
"It's very relaxing. It still happens on accident every now and then, but I'm getting better at it." Emily smiled and leaned her head on Sam's shoulder.
"That's good news. Isn't it little Mikey?" Mikey giggled and I kept tickling him. That's when Jared and Kim arrived. She had a beaming smile on her face as she ran towards me to give me a hug. I hugged her back when she got to me.
"Hey, Kim. You're certainly in a good mood." She giggled. I looked behind her and noticed that Jared looked particularly puffed up with pride today. He and Sam exchange a kind of mutual look. Kim left my embrace, keeping her hands on my shoulders, and smiled warmly at me. I figured it out immediately. "Oh my god, Kim, are you really?" She nodded her head.
"Yeah. It's a honeymoon baby too. Can you believe it, Nessie? I'm going to be a mother." She practically had tears in her eyes and I hugged her again.
"I'm so happy for you, Kim. Do you know when you're due?" She beamed.
"The doctor said I should expect the baby around June." I saw Jared beam with pride. Sam gave him the thumbs up and Jared answered him with a smug smile.
"You're going to be a great mother Kim. I know you will be." Her eyes were beginning to tear up.
"I hope so." I heard a car pull up outside. I tried to look out the window near the door. I saw Jacob getting out of the driver's seat with Seth in shotgun and Sue in the back. Seth and Jacob went around to the back to help Sue get some food that she had brought. I ran over to the door and ran outside. Jacob smiled when he saw me and I smiled too.
"Do you need me to help you bring anything in, Jacob?" He nodded.
"Yeah, take these potatoes. Sue hasn't mashed them yet. She figured she could do that here. And she's dying to see all the cooking equipment I'm always telling her you guys have." I giggled. Jacob took another stone bowl covered in foil and followed me into the house. Daddy came over to talk to Jacob.
"What does Sue need to prepare besides the potatoes?" Daddy had his answer the moment Jacob thought it. He nodded his head and ran to the kitchen to get out all the things she would need. That's when another car came into the driveway. It was the cruiser. Grandpa was driving and had Billy, Quil and Claire with him. When Claire got out of the car, she ran over to me and gave me a hug. I rested the potatoes on the porch step and hugged her back.
"I miss you, Nessie." I smirked. Her grammar had improved significantly in the past few months, but she was still a little rough around the edges.
"I missed you too, Claire. I hear you're starting school next year." She started bouncing and clapping her hands.
"Yeah, Yeah. I'm a big girl now. I start school just like all big kids." She was beaming and so was Quil. He was just as excited for Claire to start going to school as she was.
"I know. You're a big kid now." She nodded her head. But her next question took me by surprise.
"When you starting school?" I wasn't really sure how to answer her. Jacob hadn't stiffened at the question. He looked just as unsure as to how to answer the question as I did. Claire kept smiling at me with her beaming smile. I smiled back, giving her the best answer I had.
"Soon. I'm not sure when though." She started jumping again.
"This mean I still bigger than you!" I laughed. She thought of me as super girl yes, but she liked being the 'oldest'. Claire would be turning five next year, and just barely making the cut-off from what Quil told me. There's something to be said about being born in the summer.
"Yeah. Darn." We all started laughing as Claire reached up to pat my head.
"Don't worry. You not be small for long." I giggled and leaned down so she could reach the top of my head. Claire was shorter than me, but she was pushing my height. She would tower over me one of these days. It seemed to be a trend with the Quileutes. Man or woman, they were huge.
"I hope so, Claire. I hope so." Without any warning except his footsteps approaching me, Jacob lifted me up into his arms, me taking hold of the potatoes again, and rested me on his shoulder.
"See, Claire. She's bigger now." We all laughed. Jacob picked up the stone bowl that he had rested on the railing and took it to the kitchen, me still in his arms. Charlie and Billy went straight to were Emmett and Jasper were, watching the game. Jacob put down his bowl on the counter, then took mine and put it next to his bowl. I leaned in near his ear.
"Did you hear that Kim is pregnant?" Jacob chuckled.
"Yeah. I heard. She found out a few days ago. Jared was thinking about it during our patrol. You should hear his thoughts, Nessie. You'd think the man won the lottery, he's so happy." I giggled. Jared never was one to say much, but he didn't need to. His face usually told you all you needed to know.
"He isn't planning on leaving the pack now is he?" This concerned me. Granted, Jacob had more than enough wolves in the pack, but Sam and Jared were two of the best. Losing them to family life seemed like a shame.
"He's considering it. But he wants to wait a few years before he does that. Thanks to your little patrol arrangement, he has enough time to be a wolf and to maintain a stable, supportive job. He doesn't see any desperate need to stop. He is planning on doing that within the next few years though."
"You're okay with that?" Jacob shrugged.
"It's his life. And I don't blame him or Sam for wanting to give up their wolves. Having a family is a lot of work." I rested my head on top of his.
"Would you give up your wolf for your family?" Jacob stood still, me still on his shoulders. I looked at his face. It looked torn.
"I can't give up my wolf, Nessie. If I give up my wolf, I'll start aging." I realized that this little fact bothered me immensely. Aging meant that one would eventually die. I didn't want that. I couldn't imagine Jacob not being with me. He was my best friend. I needed him to be around. I answered him quietly.
"Promise me that no matter what, you'll never give up your wolf. I don't care if you meet the woman of your dreams. Don't ever give up your wolf, you hear me?" I heard Jacob chuckle. I looked at his face again. It looked relieved for some reason.
"You bet, Nessie." I hugged around his neck, and he hugged me with his one arm. I wasn't on his shoulders anymore. He was just holding me up in his arm. I heard daddy clear his throat and Jacob put me down on my feet. Sue brought her last item into the kitchen and started preparing the food. She put the turkey in the slow cooker to cook for a few hours. Esme came down from Carlisle's study to help her.
Jacob and I went outside were Quil and Claire were. They were playing tag together. Jacob and I joined the game. Quil was it. He pretended to have a hard time catching Claire. He then made Jacob it, who primarily chased after me. Seth joined the game when Jacob was it. A little later, Paul and Rachael arrived at the house. A few of the other pack members came too. Embry finally arrived last. When Claire became bored with playing tag, she ran to where the TV room was and tried to snatch the remote from Emmett.
"Please. I want to watch the Tellatubies." Emmett just looked at her a moment before answering.
"Little girl, I think I need to explain all the things that are wrong with that show." I glared at Emmett, but he didn't pay attention to me.
"Nothing is wrong with the Tellatubies. They are funny." Emmett sighed heavily.
"Nothing's wrong? The purple one is gay, I swear the red one is up to something, and the yellow one is just retarded. And none of them speak English. They speak some made up language with bad grammar and annoying sounds. Why do you think so many kids your age are such dumbasses? Because of those damn Tellatubies. If you're going to snatch the remote from me to watch a kid's show, you're going to watch something worth watching." Quil and I went over to Claire who looked like she was about to cry. We both glared at Emmett, but he ignored us.
Emmett went to the shelf of movies and tapes and pulled out a tape that was labeled Looney Toons. He put in the tape, pressed play, and before he got back to his seat, we were watching a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
"Now this is a cartoon worth watching." Claire stopped sobbing and watched what Emmett had put in. We all watched it together. I had seen this episode a million times, but it never got old. Claire seemed to cheer up within the first five minutes of the show and was laughing at it in no time.
"The rabbit is funny." Emmett looked at Claire.
"That rabbit is Bugs Bunny, one of the best Looney Toons to ever be drawn on a piece of paper." Jasper laughed lightly and continued to watch it with us. We watched the episode where Bugs was tormenting the opera singer. Oh that Bugs. When the episode was over, Jasper took the remote from Emmett and stopped the tape.
"You know what I'm suddenly in the mood for?" Daddy chuckled. Emmett lifted his eyebrow.
"I don't know, Jasper. What are you in the mood for?"
"Do we still have those tapes that you and I used to record the 1989 top hundred songs countdown?" Emmett beamed.
"I'm way ahead of you, Jasper." Billy seemed to bounce in his wheel chair. Rachael walked into the room.
"Did you guys just say you had an eighties music video countdown?" Jasper nodded his head. "Oh my god, I haven't seen eighties music videos on TV since I was little. I miss the commercials. Those were so stupid." They started laughing. Emmett came back downstairs with a handful of tapes, each labeled 1989 Countdown part __. Emmett picked out part 1 and put it into the VCR that I couldn't believe we kept.
The image came on the screen and I couldn't believe my eyes. The hostess was wearing a weird jacket that was shoulder padded and had fabric that looked like it belonged on a couch. I wasn't a fashion expert, but I was pretty sure that was labeled as tacky. Claire apparently agreed with me.
"Why is that woman wearing that Jacket? It makes her look like a man." Jasper, Emmett, Daddy and everyone else burst out laughing. Even the vampires looked like they would cry from laughing so much. Daddy answered Claire's question.
"That was the style back then. Women wore shoulder pads and outrageous colors and patterns. The more hideous your outfit, the cooler it was. And the bigger your hair, the better." Everyone started laughing again. Emmett spoke next.
"Hey Edward, remember when we all went to high school in the eighties when we all lived in Maine?" Daddy started laughing. "Remember the chant that we would say at lunch all the time?" Jasper was the one who said the chant, which surprised me.
"Mullet, mullet, mullet."He hummed the m's. Alice, daddy and Rosalie went into hysterics. Rosalie was the next one to add to the flashback.
"Remember that one guy that had the tight perm mullet with his named shaved out on the side?" Everyone kept laughing.
"Oh yeah. The Bobby mullet we used to call it." Everyone kept laughing. Alice added next.
"Remember when Madonna was famous and everyone would dress like her? Oh god, and the liberty spikes. Remember those?" Billy and Charlie were laughing too. I could only imagine what those two looked like in the eighties. Daddy laughed harder when he heard my thoughts. Rosalie spoke.
"Oh God, how could anyone forget liberty spikes? I remember when Alice and I were dressing like Madonna." Emmett wrapped his arm around Rosalie.
"Madonna wishes she was as hott as you, Rose." Rosalie gave Emmett a sultry smile. Alice snorted though.
"Please, I didn't dress like Madonna. Madonna dressed like me." Everyone laughed at that, even me.
"Whatever you say, Alice. Whatever you say." Momma kept laughing after she forced out that comment. I was suddenly curious. I looked at grandpa and asked my question.
"Grandpa, did you go to high school in the eighties?" Grandpa and Billy started laughing again.
"Yeah. I graduated class of 87 and your grandma graduated class of 89. Now Billy on the other hand, he graduated class of 83." Billy hit grandpa's arm.
"Did you two go to school together?" Billy shook his head.
"No. I went to school on the reservation. Charlie and Renee both went to school in Forks. We knew each other because our moms were best friends. I used to torment your grandpa every chance I got." Billy and grandpa started laughing together.
"I hated you. You always did everything you could to prove you were better than me. I don't even remember how you and I became friends." Billy laughed again.
"How could you not?" Billy looked at me. "You see, your grandpa here used to steel soda from the shop I was working at, just to spite me. And instead of just calling the cops on him, once I'd had enough, I took him outside to beat him within an inch of his life."
"Ah yeah. If I remember right, you never did beat me." Billy playfully glared at grandpa.
"I would have if my pregnant wife hadn't kicked me in the stomach and told me to pick on someone my own size." Billy looked at me again. "After my wife kicked me, Charlie started laughing at me and I couldn't help but laugh too. We laughed for a few minutes while covered in mud from fighting. We've been friends ever since." I giggled and Jacob chuckled.
"And their immaturity seemed to get worse with age." I laughed harder. Jacob laughed with me. Emmett and Jasper were singing along with a few of the songs that were playing, and Claire and I just laughed at the music videos. They all seemed to be telling a story. Billy and Charlie were even mumbling the words to a few of the songs. Momma only knew a handful of the songs, but the ones she knew, she liked. Within that time, everyone who had said they would come had arrived. Kim walked over to me and Claire.
"May I?" I laughed and nodded my head. She loved my hair, and took every opportunity she could to play with it. Claire's hair too. Kim had gotten her styling license and could now legally work in a hair salon. She had found a job at a nice hair salon in Forks.
"What did you want to do?" Kim grinned widely as she pulled out a small bag full of hair clips.
"I actually wanted to try something new. I was thinking we could braid the top of your head to make a crown. What doesn't get braided would be secured by these clips and hang freely. Since you're wearing you comb that Jacob gave you, I could make the braids curve in a way that made it look like they were being held together by your comb. It would pretty much be what you're wearing now, just braids." I nodded my head.
"It sounds cute." Kim giggled.
"On you, Nessie, it would look cute no matter what." She looked at Claire. "Do you want me to do that to your hair too?" Claire shook her head.
"No. I want French braid." Kim giggled.
"Okay. Nessie can do that while I work on her hair, right?" I nodded. Kim had taught me how to do a French braid a long time ago. There was really nothing to it. A good hair stylist could have that done in a matter of ten minutes or less. My record was seven minutes.
Claire sat in front of me and I started making her braid. Kim got started on what she wanted to do. I was done with Claire's hair in eight minutes. When I finished her hair, she went to where Kim was standing and watched her work. The braids weren't too small. They were a size that wouldn't be hard to take out later. When she had everything in place, she put all the strands in a ponytail holder to keep them secure. Then she put my plumeria comb back into place. The rest of my hair flowed freely.
"It looks so cute on you, just as I thought." I smiled at the mirror. Claire went up to me and hugged me.
"Now we both pretty." I laughed.
"Yeah. We're both pretty." After we finished that, we all rejoined the group that was still watching eighties music videos. Emmett, Jasper and daddy were making fun of just about everything. And they all took a trip down memory lane when a commercial for old TV show theme songs came on. Emmett and Jasper talked about how much they loved 'Green Acers' and how daddy used to always watch 'Bewitched'. Rachael had been right, the commercials were the dumbest things I'd ever seen. But they were funny.
We spent most of the afternoon watching eighties music videos and making fun of just about everything that had happened throughout the eighties. Emmett, Jasper and daddy had a good laugh talking about class mates they remembered from their high school in Maine. Apparently, they used to make fun of everyone they knew.
After a few hours of music videos, Sue told everyone that dinner was ready. Everyone ran to help Sue set the table and cut the turkey and such. The only spots that didn't have any table settings were the places where my family and I would be sitting.
Charlie never questioned why we didn't eat anymore. It had bothered him for a long time, but eventually, he stopped asking. Jacob would always remind him of the 'need to know' bases and he would never bring up his questions again. One time he had just flat out asked Jacob if daddy and his family were Aliens or something. After having a good laugh, Jacob just told him, 'Whatever you want to believe Charlie. Whatever you want to believe.' Once everyone had their food, the room burst with several conversations at once. I sat next to Jacob and Seth. Claire sat next to Quil, who cut up anything she needed him to.
"How is everything?" I asked Jacob when he had everything he wanted.
"Great. Sue always did know how to cook. And Rachael did a really good job on this green bean casserole. I had my doubts, but I got to hand it to her, she did well." I smiled. Rachael smiled too. She had apparently heard what Jacob had said. She then continued the conversation she was having with Paul.
"It still smells weird to me, but, hey, what would I know?" Jacob just laughed. Jacob then took a small fork full of casserole and brought it near my mouth.
"Maybe you should try it." I just gave him a look. Jacob started laughing again and ate what was on his fork. "Just a suggestion. No need to look at me like that." I giggled and gently smacked his arm. He winced, pretending that I had actually hurt him. Jacob took a swig of his root beer and continued eating. Everyone was talking amongst themselves and having a pleasant time.
"Did you see what we're having for dessert?" Jacob gave me a silly grin.
"Yes I did. I've been spending most of the day debating which I should have or if should just have a piece of all of them." I just laughed.
"You know, Jacob, if you were anyone else without the metabolism you have, you'd be the size of a hummer by now." Jacob laughed.
"I'm already the size of a hummer when I'm a wolf." I laughed with him. A few minutes passed. "Guess what, Nessie." I shrugged.
"What?" Jacob was grinning.
"Billy said that Rebecca is coming home for Christmas this year." This surprised me. From what little I knew about Rebecca, she wasn't fond of Washington. She preferred to sun, like many people that had grown up here but left as soon as they were able.
"Is she?" Jacob nodded.
"Yeah. Billy's really excited about it. We haven't seen her since her wedding six years ago. She's bringing her husband John." I noticed Jacob sort of scrunch his nose at the name.
"I assume you don't like him." Jacob shrugged.
"I wouldn't have married him, let's put it that way." I giggled.
"Well, Jacob, I'd hope not. Isn't that still illegal in Washington?" Jacob just glared at me playfully and I heard daddy and momma laugh lightly.
"You know what I meant, Nessie. What I'm saying is that I've just never been fond of the guy."
"Why? Is he bad to her?" Jacob shook his head.
"No, it's not that, necessarily. He doesn't hurt her or anything. He's just a prick in my opinion."
"Jacob." Daddy said to Jacob sternly. Jacob smiled apologetically at daddy and then at me.
"Forgive my choice of wording, Nessie, but there's just no other way of describing him." Daddy proved him wrong.
"Not true, Jacob. You could have said he's arrogant, rude, inconsiderate, self-centered, flippant, irritable, ill-mannered, petulant, forward, brazen, impertinent, impulsive, should I keep going?" Momma was trying very hard not to laugh. Jacob just starred at daddy.
"Sorry Webster, I'm not familiar with a couple of those words. But I'm certain that prick pretty much sums that all up." I laughed and so did momma. Daddy just rolled his eyes at Jacob. Emmett had a good laugh from it though. Then Billy gave Jacob his fatherly lecturing tone.
"Don't say things like that about your brother-in-law Jacob." Jacob grinned in what looked like disbelief.
"Like you're one to talk. You hate him more than I do. And you've called him far worse." Billy kept his face stern.
"That's different, Jacob. I'm her father. I pretend that I like the kid my daughter marries, and complain to anyone who will listen."
"And that person is generally me." Grandpa added. Everyone laughed. Everyone got back to their own conversations, but I stuck to the one Jacob and I were having.
"So you simply don't like the guy?" Jacob nodded.
"Yeah. He just bugs me. I've played several pranks on him when I was younger but he never seems to go away."
"Did he live on the reservation?" Jacob shook his head.
"No, actually. He was in the military. That's part of the reason Billy hates him so much. He's about eight years older than Rebecca."
"So? Daddy's older than momma." Jacob rolled his eyes slightly, but not in a mean way.
"You're parents are immortal, that doesn't count. Besides, if that were the only thing, Billy wouldn't hate him so much. He just likes to make that one of his many reasons that he doesn't like him."
"What else does he not like about him?" Jacob sighed.
"There's a lot to it. He was dating my sister while she was still in high school, so that's statutory rape right there. And evidently, he was seeing someone else on the side or something, but we don't know for sure. But what angers Billy the most is the fact that he moved her so far away. She swears this isn't the reason, but Billy can't help but feel like she only married John because he was her way out of Washington. She could have gone to college, but we couldn't afford it without scholarships and she was way too impatient for that."
"Is that how you feel about him?" Jacob grinned after that.
"I already gave you my opinion of the guy, and Edward didn't approve of my choice of word remember?" I giggled.
"So what kind of pranks did you play on him?" When I asked that, Jacob, Billy, Seth, Embry, Quil and Rachael started laughing. Oh boy, this would be good. Billy gave the first story.
"Oh God, what has Jacob not done to John?" He thought for a moment, trying to think of a favorite incident. "Okay, this is a good one. Granted, this was extremely dangerous and you could have hurt him, but it was funny as hell. Jacob had hotwired John's car and made it so that his engine would fail and he would be stuck on the side of the road. He was on his way to Port Angels and his car broke down. He ended up being stuck on the side of the road for four hours and when the tow truck finally got his car to the shop, there was nothing they could do for his car, it was completely totaled." Everyone laughed lightly.
"That's mean, Jacob." I chided him. Jacob just laughed harder.
"That's not even the worst thing I've ever done to him. Have you ever seen Cheaper by the Dozen?" I shook my head. "Well, one of the sisters brings home a boyfriend, the siblings don't like him, so they play a few pranks on him. One of the things they did was they put his underwear in meat." I just stared at him.
"You did that?" Jacob grinned.
"Yep. I took a pair of his underwear, dipped it in a bunch of leftover meat from the dumpsters around the reservation, blow dried it, and made sure that was the pair he wore. And sure enough, every dog and wolf in the area attacked him trying to eat his underwear. Even a few stray cats were going at him. It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen."
"That is wrong." Jacob didn't stop grinning.
"Funny."
"But wrong." Everyone started laughing at the apparent reference I had just made. Seth added a story next.
"How about the time you replaced his aftershave with paint remover." Jacob nearly choked on his food from laughing so hard.
"Yeah. You could hear his scream of pain for miles." Everyone started laughing again and so did I. He looked at me. "And I mean he screamed. Like a five year old girl scout. Some Navy Seal."
"Isn't that dangerous?" I was still laughing though.
"Extremely. But it was funny and I didn't like him, so it all evened out." I laughed harder. Everyone else did too. Even Rachael added to the story telling.
"My favorite was the time you super glued his feet into his shoes. That was cruel, Jacob. It took poor Rebecca three hours to get his shoes off." Jacob just laughed and shrugged.
"Jesus, Jacob. I never took you for one to play pranks on people." Emmett said this through his musical bass laughter. Jacob shrugged again.
"Only a certain few, Emmett." Everyone had another good laugh.
"You were quite the rotten little seed weren't you Jacob?" Jasper said this with amusement in his voice.
"At least I never kidnapped his dog." Jasper and Jacob laughed at the retort. Seth interrupted.
"You did have him get attacked by hornets. Remember? You, me, Embry and Quil took him camping with us that one time. You brought a bow and arrow with you and when he was right below a hornet's nest, you shot it down with the arrow and it landed right in front of him. He was running for twenty minutes straight before he was able to find a large enough body of water to dive into." Everyone involved laughed at the memory.
"My god, his face swelled to twice its size. That was gross." Embry forced this out through his laugh. I was laughing with them.
"Did he ever figure out that you were the one behind all this?" I finally asked when I got control of my laughter. Jacob shook his head.
"No. Luckily for me, he was an idiot. He actually thought our house was cursed or something." He looked at Billy. "Remember one morning, he walked up to you and begged you to call a priest to exorcize the house?" Billy burst into another fit of laughter.
"I sure do." Billy made his voice higher to match it to the person he was impersonating. "Oh God, oh God, Billy, I think your house is haunted. You need to call a priest." Jacob laughed.
"Yeah. Then you made him sit down, looked him in the eye and said, 'Listen, John. There aren't any evil spirits in my house. The only spirits that could possibly be here are the souls of my ancestors. And I'm sorry to say that if all these bad things are happening to you, it probably means that they don't like you too much.'" Billy laughed, and Rachael added.
"And you kept leading him on. You asked him if he knew what he could have possibly done to anger the spirits." Everyone kept laughing.
"Wow. And I thought I had it bad." Rosalie said through her laughter. "Blonde jokes aren't so bad compared to all that." We all laughed and told more stories about things that Jacob did to his brother-in-law. I would hate to be on his April fools hit list. Once everyone finished their dinner, Esme, Alice and Sue helped serve the cakes to everyone. Jacob finally settled on the cheesecake covered in cherries. I tried one cherry and hated it. Jacob laughed at the face I made.
Emmett kept on the music video countdown that he had put on earlier and everyone who was in the mood for reminiscing on the eighties joined in. Claire and I played a game of Candy land for a few hours with Jacob watching behind me and Quil watching behind Claire. They even played a game against each other, making it a lot more serious than it was purely to make us laugh.
After several more hours of everyone socializing, people started getting tired from dinner and made their way home. Claire had fallen asleep an hour ago. I wasn't tired like everyone else. I wish I could say the same for Jacob. He seemed to be forcing his eyes to stay open.
"Jacob, you can go to sleep if you want." Jacob shook his head.
"I'm fine, Nessie. Besides, I have patrol tonight. I can get some sleep tomorrow." I sighed. Leave it to Jacob to deprive himself of sleep.
"Okay. But come back here to sleep, okay?" Jacob gave me a confused look. "I want to make sure that you get enough sleep. This way I'll know you're not lying to me." Jacob chuckled and nodded his head.
"Okay, Nessie. As soon as I'm done with patrol, I'll come straight to the cottage to fall asleep." I smiled at him.
"Thanks. That's all I ask." Jacob had offered to take me back to the cottage and stay with me until momma and daddy finished up at the house. When we got back to the cottage, I finished my normal bedtime routine, let out my hair and put my comb back into the jewelry box it always rested in. Jacob tucked me into the covers.
"Sweet dreams, Nessie. I promise I'll come straight here when I get off patrol." I smiled.
"Good." Jacob chuckled. He kissed my forehead and ran his fingers once through my hair. I fell asleep within minutes. I was a lot more tired than I thought I would be. I woke up the next morning to loud snoring sounds. When I opened my eyes, I saw Jacob in a change of clothes, sitting upright with his head resting on the end of my bed, sleeping. He looked so peaceful. He really did come back. I felt warm all over.
Trying very hard not to wake him up, I went about my morning routine. When I got back to my room, Jacob was still snoring away. I changed into a pair of blue jeans and a black, BedHead logoed t-shirt. I tied my hair back into a ponytail and put in my plumeria comb. I think I need a trim at least. My hair was getting really, really long. It was almost annoying. But every time I suggested it to Alice, she practically bit my head off. Even if I merely suggested a trim. My hair didn't have any split ends, happily, but I still thought it needed to be trimmed.
After I was dressed, I went to where Jacob was. I sat on his lap and let my head rest in my little nook on his shoulder. I breathed in his woodsy scent and began to feel a little tired again. His loud, powerful heartbeat filled my ears like music. I let my eyes close, and drifted off into a little nap.