chapter o3. courage.

embry.

I couldn't let her leave – not yet. Not until I at least worked up enough guts to ask to see her again. Not that she wouldn't be back, of course, but I wanted to see her on different terms. I feel rather ashamed of myself for saying this, but at that moment I really wanted to be Quil. Even for just a few seconds. He was always good at getting dates; he just couldn't keep them. I lack what public speaking teachers call "charisma". Or maybe it's just that I don't talk to girls, save for Emily and Seth's sister Leah. And even around them, I get tongue tied. Jake and Quil both used to joke that I would be the first gay werewolf in Quileute history. Thank goodness that has been proven false.

As Gracie turned toward her classy little car, I knew I had to do something. I wasn't exactly sure of what I was doing blatantly violating the personal space of a girl I had just met a few minutes ago, but it had to be done. I swiftly grabbed her wrist. Gently of course; I could and would not live with myself if I ever hurt her. She turned to look at me, her cinnamon curls swirling around her slightly florid cheeks. I was stuck now, and I could only stare at her.

"Something to say, that's all I'm asking for. Come on, on brain! You're useful every other time I need you," I thought, praying something would come to mind.

Lucky for me, Jake always had my back and access to my head. Mentally, he sent me a message. I don't know why I hadn't thought about my telepathy, if you could call it that. I was too enamored to think rationally, I suppose. Without a single glance, Jake slyly gave me the words that my mind wouldn't produce.

"Hey, Hopeless, look at the sky. I know you can't take your eyes off of her, but please try and concentrate for more than five seconds. The sun's gone. In fact, it looks like it could possibly storm. A nice girl like that shouldn't have to drive home in a bad storm like we get here in La Push, if you get what I'm saying.
I'll pretend like I have something to do and you just stay with her. From the sounds of it, she's probably just arrived here recently and hasn't had the chance to really experience a real Forks storm. Play knight in shining armor! And you owe me, by the way. I still don't like her. But I can hear you do so go for it," he thought, and I was eternally grateful.

"Thanks Jake. Any repairs you need done for that piece of junk car of yours will be free of charge for a while," I replied, hoping that would satisfy him for now. Jake was an expert mechanic, so he was probably just letting me off the hook until he needed help with Algebra.

Come to think of it, the sky was fairly dark. Oh, now I love the predictable unpredictability of western Washington weather, but this was getting ridiculous. It was sunny just a few hours ago! As if on cue, a rumble of thunder cut through the awkward silence. Gracie almost jumped out her skin. She still didn't seem to mind that I was touching her and that comforted me. Her eyes met mine and we both looked away. God, I'm such a coward.

"Well, so much for the sunny day," she mused, sounding concerned. I dropped her wrist, embarrassed.

"Are you alright? You sound a little scared," Jake teased, leaning on the side of the Clearwater's house. He smirked confidently as if he were somehow trying to import some of that self-assurance he had onto me. I didn't feel anything but my knees shaking, however; and I didn't think I was going to be able to do this alone. Too bad Jake was sticking to his plan perfectly.

"I should probably get back to Billy. You know how superstitious he is about everything. You can get home on your own, right Embry? I'm sure Sue and Seth won't mind you staying until the storm clears up."

Jake shot me that "I know something only we know" look. Nerves and all, I was actually getting fairly worried about the weather too. The sky had gone from blue, to bluish-grey, to black in a matter of a few minutes.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you later. Nice meeting you Gracie."And with that, Jake high-tailed it to the Rabbit.

There was an uncomfortable absence of sound for a few minutes before another, much louder clap of thunder shook the windows of the Clearwater's house. I stole another glance at Gracie and her eyes were wide with fright. She was almost shaking, herself.

"You okay? You look terrified," I said, lightly touching her on the shoulder. I was getting bolder now. I wanted to hug her close and comfort her; tell her that everything was going to be alright and that I'd protect her. Instead, my fingertips rested on her lavender sleeve, ready to fly away at the first sign of discomfort. I hadn't noticed her clothing before but took a quick look at the parts of her body that weren't her face. I hardly cared what she looked like; she could've been dressed in sweats and covered with motor oil and still looked like an angel. Instead, she was nicely dressed. She was thin, thinner than I'd realized. Her lilac blouse fluttered loosely in the chilled breeze from the oncoming storm, clinging to her torso. She had freckles all along her arms, matching the ones on her pale face. She was adorable; no one could deny it. Even behind her tortoiseshell frames and modest appearance, she was beautiful. She reminded me a lot of Bella, despite not looking a thing like her. She had the air of undiscovered attractiveness about her; a beauty in geek's clothing. Maybe that was why Jake didn't like her.

My eyes returned from their detour to meet hers for just a brief second, like sand meeting sea-foam. She attempted to smile through her fear; like the wolf I am, I have a heightened sense when it comes to fright. She looked like a scared little girl trying to brave her first roller coaster ride. Too proud to let anyone know how terrified she really was.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered, looking hesitant. " Well, actually, I'm not. This may sound silly, but I'm absolutely terrified of storms." Her face burned bright red and she looked absolutely mortified. It took all of my strength not to take her in my arms and give her a bear hug.

"You're not silly. Come on, we'll wait in here until it passes," I suggested, unlocking the door again.

I noted the little droplets of rain beginning to dot the ground. The sky lit up for a brief second and Gracie came running; choosing to hide closely behind me. I couldn't help but chuckle as I led her into the Clearwater's living room. She was so tiny and cute. Kind of in that girl next door way. I wanted to take care of her.

"Are you sure Mrs. Clearwater won't mind? I mean, I am a stranger and all." She chewed her nails and I wasn't sure if her nerves were caused by the storm or something else. From what I could guess, her family didn't get many unexpected visitors. Then again, she did come from a bigger town and probably wasn't acquainted with small-town country living just yet. I smiled.

"Sue's a really good friend of my family. As long as I'm with you, you'll be okay." I wanted those words to hold true for more than just situation, but made my mind drop the thought. I didn't want to be a total creep.

My nerves faded away as the rain began to pour outside. I took a seat on the small couch in the corner of the room, next to Sue's old-fashioned radio. It was she and Harry's from their wedding; one of the only presents to have actually survived all these years. I missed Harry. Billy, Harry, and Bella's dad Charlie used to fish all the time and we boys would reap the benefits. Since he died, the fishing trips have kind of stopped. It's sad, but that's life I suppose.

I turned the knob on the radio to the "on" position and motioned for Gracie to come have a seat. I don't know if it was the house that was making me so relaxed or if it was something different, but I felt so much more confident now. Gracie, on the other hand, looked like I had earlier. The poor girl was scared in a strange house, in a strange town, with a boy she'd met less than an hour ago. I had to do something to make her feel better; I couldn't stand to see her like this.

We sat in silence, listening to the soft percussion of rain on the thin roof and the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance. The radio crackled and fizzed with static before a man's voice drifted into the room. He droned on about the weekend happenings in Forks and I longed to say something to Gracie. The silence between us was painful; Jake gives me far too much credit sometimes. My lips ached to speak to her; to tell her I wanted to protect her from anything and everything she feared. I felt a cool hand on my shoulders and I met with a horrified pair of eyes. The look radiating from her green irises, one of pure terror and helplessness was just too much for me to resist. I had to protect her.