Chapter Five - But why??

"Dad!!!" Mom yelled as Charlie walked through the door behind me. She grabbed him up in a bear hug.

"Whoa... easy Bella. You know I'm getting too old."

She dropped her arms immediately, murmering a "sorry" to him.

"Well, I told Nessie you had something to speak to her about...." he prompted her, looking excited just like the first time he had mentioned it. I took another deep breath trying to relax myself. I had no idea what could be coming.

"Where's Dad?" I asked, noticing he wasn't here with us.

"He had some.... business to take care of," she answered nervously, glancing at Charlie. I nodded in understanding - whatever he was doing, it was not something Charlie would want to hear of.

"So what is it then, Mom? The suspense is killing me." I sunk down onto the couch.

"Well, sweetie, your father and I have been discussing something, and we think maybe it would be good for you - let you see what the real world is like." She took a breath to ready herself. She must know I probably wouldn't like what I was about to hear. "We think you should try out going to school for a little while, Nessie. Real school."

I had been homeschooled my whole life, learning much more than any public education system could ever have taught me. Mom must have known what I was thinking.

"It would be more for the experience than anything else," she quickly threw in.

"But.....why?" Didn't I have good enough social skills? I guess I didn't know enough people that I was not related to to be sure.

"High school is where people learn how to make and keep friends....... it won't kill you, Nessie. It'll bore you, I'm sure, but we've already made up our minds," she said, ending the conversation.

"Okay....." I didn't know what else to say. I couldn't really argue..... it probably wouldn't even be so bad. "So when do I start, then?"

"You'll start eleventh grade in early September, along with everyone else that age. You'll have to be careful there, though. We'll have to make up a few stories of course....."

She went over my new life story with me three times. I was to tell anyone who asked that I had been adopted by my actual parents when I was a baby after my "parents" - who were supposed to be my Dad's biological brother and his wife - had died in a car accident. Other than that, it was mostly the truth. Not many people had seen my mom and dad for a few years but no one had heard that they'd moved away either, and the part about being homeschooled my whole life was completely honest. It was all easy enough to remember.

Charlie was leaving as Dad walked in through the door. He had been off getting me an i.d., birth certificate and social security card made since I would need them all for school. He said he would pick everything up in a week and then enroll me.

"Jacob's outside, darling, and he wants to know if he can sleep in your floor tonight," Dad asked me.

That completely took me off guard. Jacob had not slept in my room since I was much younger. He had always stayed somewhere near-by though, usually out in the woods.

"Can he?" I looked up in to my father's face with wide eyes

Please say yes, please say yes...... I repeated it over and over, knowing he heard every bit of excitement I couldn't contain.

"I suppose so.....as long as your mother doesn't mind. And Renesmee..... I'll be listening." He stalked off towards his bedroom to see what Mom would say. I already knew what her answer would be, but I waited to hear her "okay" before running into my room.

I dressed quickly for bed and brushed my teeth in the bathroom. I ran back to my room and yelled Jacob's name out of the open window.

"Yeeessssss?" His voice came from behind me.

"Oh!" I said as I spun around. His eyes ran from my face to my feet very slowly.

"I heard that!" Dad yelled from his room. Jake and I laughed together. I wonder what it was that he'd heard...

"I'm not going to repeat it, dear," he yelled in, answering my thoughts.

Could you not listen quite so much, Dad? It's pretty hard to control all of my thoughts....

"Not tonight, Nessie. I wouldn't want anyone taking advantage of their privacy," he answered.

I sighed. Oh well, at least Jacob was getting to stay with me tonight. Even if it was as a giant wolf curled up on my floor. I was getting very tired, so I slumped over to my bed and laid down. To my surprise, Jake followed and laid down right beside me.

"I can only stay right here til you fall asleep, Ness. Your dad would chase me out then, anyways," he chuckled. That was just fine with me. I didn't really want him touching my hands as I slept, since there was no way to control my sub-conscience. I snuggled my face up into his chest and pulled my body as close to his as possible. The heat was incredible, even though it wasn't far off from my own body temperature.

"Love you, Jake," I whispered into him.

"Love you, too, Nessie. Sweet dreams....."

I drifted off then, dreaming of heat and everything being red. There was nothing too specific, just alot of feelings and color. And Jacob, of course. He was the sunshine. I opened my eyes and had to ask myself if I was having some type of double-dream.

Jacob was snoring lightly, laying in the exact same spot he had been when I fell asleep. I blinked a few times, and the image in front of me didn't change, so I figured it must be real. I pulled myself out from underneath Jacob's arm and went to the living room to find my father.

He was waiting on me, having already heard my question.

"I didn't see any harm in him staying where he was," he answered me simply. I sat down beside him.

What all do you know about me and Jacob?, I thought. It was obviously more than he was letting on.

He sighed. "I know everything.... you two have been terrible about hiding things. I know you are in love, Renesmee, and I understand," he said, glancing towards his bedroom where my mom was probably sitting.

And you don't think I'm too young?

"Your mind is not as young as the years you have lived. You are plenty mature enough to be with him, if you choose."

So can he always stay then? Like you used to? I had heard the stories of him and my mother all those years ago, when he would sneak into her room every night and watch her while she slept.

He sighed again. "I suppose he can. As long as you both are good."

I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him excitedly.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

"You are very welcome, dear," he said laughing at my enthusiasm. "Jacob just woke up..... I was wanting to ask him something."

"What?" I asked as Jacob walked groggily into the living room.

"Jacob, would you like to drive Nessie to school when she starts? And then afterwards, back home as well?"

I liked that question.

"Of course!!" Jacob said, the corners of his mouth pulling up sleepily. He looked over at me. "I mean, if you want me to."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You know I do, Jake. It'll be the least boring part of school, I'm sure."