Heywooo!

Just as I said in the author's note before, I'm HORRIBLY sorry for basically leaving and jumping off the face of the earth. I hope you guys can all forgive me and thank you for sticking with me this long; through everything, thick and thin, through everything. Thank you guys for all of your support and all of the reviews and all of the reading. Thankies, and without you guys, I'd be nowhere. Or in a box. Or under my bed. One of the three. XD

Anyways, I've realized that there has been SO MANY freaking author's notes, and I want to apologize for all of those too. They're so stupid and long that they just take up space that could be used for chapters, correct? So, I am going to try my best to shorten those to little or no more author's notes. (If there is, it will likely be very short now, not my huge babble-a-thon that takes up some odd 1000 words and never really gets to the point.) AND, I also am going to try and shorten my introductions-such as this one-and my endings as well. So now there will be more chapter and less babble! YAYYY! :D

Also, this chapter is a bit late, I know, I know. I'm SO sorry that it's been such a long time, but I've been caught up with surface area and line symmetry in math and it's actually one of the things I'm good at, so my teacher is making me explain how to do it to the rest of the class that doesn't know how to do it. And of course, life has taken me away from my writing again ... sorry!

Hehehehe, I'm listening to Patrick from Sponge Bob Square Pants (I do not own the show, just watch it. :3) scream about how he's been bitten by a vampire flea. XD

Today I learned that falling/shooting stars are, most of the time, not stars at all. They are little manless spaceships carrying poop. XD

Ooh, ooh! And on Friday, we had this pie throwing thingy that you got to chuck pies (okay, they weren't pies, just pie tin's with whipped cream) at a teacher's face, and at the end most of the school had a huge whipped cream fight and I got plastered in the face and all over my shirt and I've had to scrub my hair out for fourty minutes straight. My hair was super crusty. LOL.

One last thing; sorry if this one is a bit on the crappier side. Huge headache + not writing this story for forever = Not that good of a chappy. Sworry! DX

Thanks again!

On-du-la-ward.

Playlist For Chapter:

The Day After - Yiruma
Boom Boom - DJ Cammy
Time Of Your Life - Green Day
Lovers In Japan - Coldplay

I finally seemed to have empited my stomach once again, and I glanced up at Jacob, his god-like, gleaming brown eyes glancing down at me, concerned and beautiful all at the same time. His russet skin glowing like silk in the dim light of the living room. His hand still held my golden curls away from my face, not tightly, but gently, so that they would not be in the way of my stomach contents.

"You alright?" he asked, worry flickering across his features.

"Yes," I mumbled sickly, my body and stomach aching with fatigue and dull pain that contracted and radiated from my stomach and chest.

My grandma slowly sat beside me, and rubbed my back with one of her frail hands. "Honey, I don't think it was the greatest idea to invite a friend over when your sick, right? Now he'll get sick too."

"We planned this awhile ago, Mrs. Lillian. A few days ago, at least," Jacob replied for me, brushing my hair away from my face with his russet hand.

"I see, I see. Stay here, I'll go get some more ginger ale from the store, like I was going to before Merry told me to go to bingo or something. Will you be alright taking care of her for me, Jacob? It would be so wonderful to have someone with her." My grandma was using her "please, please, please" tone of voice, one that most people couldn't say no to. She was famous for that-getting people to do whatever she wanted them to do because she would usually pay them back with some sort of pie or something.

"Of course, Mrs. Lillian," Jacob replied politely, a smile breaking across his face.

"Just Lilly, darling," she said with a grin and an excited, almost too happy clap. "Now, now, I'll be back before you know it!" I had to hand it to my grandma; she was acting as if I had known Jacob for a thousand years. But, I knew, she would drill me with many, many questions when he had left ear-shot. In a way, I didn't want him to leave, so I wouldn't have to deal with the flood of horribly personal questions.

"I know you will," I murmured softly, voice rough and cracking.

Grandma kissed me on the forehead before bouncing off somewhere, humming to herself. Jacob looked at me slowly, an eyebrow raised slightly. A silent question of, "What the hell?" I shrugged slowly, muscles aching, as if to say, "I dunno." A few more minutes past, and the faint jingle of keys sounded in the kitchen, echoing through the tranquil silence of the house. The front door closing soon after the noise of the keys, signaling her leaving.

"Well, she's calm." Jacob blinked as he said the words.

"I know. She'll drill me with questions later," I sighed heavily, letting my body relax into the couch I was sitting on once more. Jacob's hand fell from my curls, and they bounced into my view once more.

"Sorry. I was just, worried, you know? And since we hadn't really made any plans before I was wondering if we were still on for tonight ... I waited around the coffee shop for awhile, and then I started aimlessly walking. I knew it was getting kinda late, so I tracked down Michael who found Maya who told me where you lived. Creepy, I know. You can hit me later."

"No, no, it's fine," I managed to say. I could feel that warm, fuzzy feeling building up inside of me, and it felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. "Actually, it was my fault. There's not many places to go here in High Level, so I figured I'd just walk around and if I did long enough, I'd probably find you somewhere. I didn't think that we should have gotten together at one place or another."

"It's fine too," he replied with an infectious grin. But then it faded away to concern; I could tell that furrowing his eyebrow's together was what he did when he was curious or worrying. "How long have you been sick like this?"

"A few days. The puking didn't start until yesterday." I was going to lie and say not that long and that I'd be fine in time, but the truth slipped between my lips like a hot knife through butter. It was strange.

He placed a hand on my forehead, and it was burning hot. Rough, and very, very warm. Like he had stuck his hand in a cooking stove before coming to see me. I quickly grasped his hand in mine, feeling the warmth through my hands now. "Wow, Jacob, you're sick too! You're really hot!" My exclaimation was soft, and cracking.

"Thank you." Grinning, his god-like features filled with an almost cheeky flush.

My cheeks went completely red. "I-I-"

"Kidding, Mer. I know what you mean." He waved his hand playfully. "Didn't mean to be a jerk. But yeah, I'm really hot like that. Some Quileute's just run higher temperatures then the rest of us."

I couldn't help but let a giggle out. He was trying to make me laugh, trying to make me feel better. I had to clamp my lips shut so I wouldn't let out an "awwwwwe" of pure fuzzy-feeling joy. "Wow, that's kinda weird," I murmured again, dropping my hand from his so I could place my hands in my lap and stare a head.

"Yeah. It is weird." His words were fading, almost as if he were lost in thought now.

I couldn't help but slowly cast glances at him, through the corner of my eye. He was so ... handsome. How could he not have a girlfriend? Any girl to even know him was lucky, let alone sitting by him, having an actual conversation with him, actually getting to know him. In my mind, I was one of the luckiest, most fortunate people on this planet. And he was funny, and confident, yet sensitive at the same time. So many good qualities. My mind was still baffled as to why he-someone so free, so genuinely wonderful-would have to run away from his supposed problems. It seemed as if he were a wonderful person, kind and caring, beaming out happiness like a sun's rays, drenching anyone else in his infectious happiness. To me, there would be no reason to hate him or have a problem with him. So what on earth could have been so hurtful, so agonizing, that he would physically cringe when he thought about it? It just didn't make any sense to me.

Even when I had first met him-the grumpy, half-rude stranger at the gas station in the middle of a huge summer thunder storm-it was like something in my heart knew that I needed to be there with him. That something in my heart, deep inside, was begging to help him through whatever was causing him that hurt. And that feeling had only grown when he had locked eyes with me, deep, chocolate brown meeting a blue-ashen color, and when his gaze had rained down affection and loyalty.

Now, I knew that was corny, but it was true.

I shudder, a sudden cold chill running it's way down my spine. Jacob snapped out of his thoughts and took one look at me before wrapping his inhumanly warm arm around my slim shoulders. "You look cold," he said playfully. "I think your lips are turning blue."

Odd. I hadn't felt the icy cold until now. But Jacob's comforting warmth melted that cold away, making my muscles untense and making me sigh a little as I almost reclutantly leaned into his arm, wanting to press my face against it to warm me up. "Thanks," I murmured slowly, not being able to stop my eyes from closing delicately. Everything was just so peaceful now.

I could hear his deep breathing, probably going back to his thoughts now, but as I looked up, I could see a loon-like grin plastered against his face as his eyes closed and his head slacked back a bit to rest against the back of the couch. I settled myself closer now, tuned on his breathing, hearing the inhales and exhales perfectly, and they were easily the most calming thing I had ever heard in my life. Even though I felt the urge to rip away from his grasp and mentally scold myself, I didn't.

I got lost in his breathing until my mind slowly slipped from me and into a deep sleep.

There we have it!

Yes, I know, it's really late. I tried to do the best I could!

Thanks so much for reading you guys! It makes my day!

Review please! They make me write more and better!

Byeee! ^-^