sorry for not updating yesterday. :\ I was sick. I still am, but I'm gonna update.

R&R for more. :) it's about to get WAY different. XD but different is good, in my opinion. :)

28. The Call: Regina Spektor

Things between Jacob and Edward didn't get better. In all honesty, I would say they got worse.

The Cullens and the pack, of course, heard about the confrontation, and they were furious—both sides. Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and Edward all wanted to kill some of the pack, Jacob in particular. Edward, after hearing I tried to see if I could move on with Jared only to get crushed again when he met Kim, wanted to kill Jared almost as much as he wanted to kill Jacob. Rosalie wanted to kill all of them, but Jasper and Alice didn't seem to mind Seth, Embry, Quil, and Leah. The rest of them? Yeah, and, like I said before, Jacob especially.

It was almost time for school to be out for Christmas break, and I was so ready for it. Time was flying by as preparations for everything began. Not only did I have to get my wedding together, but I had to study for exams. They started tomorrow, and I had to pass them to keep the schedule going. And, on top of that, I had to deal with the stress of my older sister and me fighting all the time; the drama between vampires and werewolves, somehow keeping myself enough in the middle to where nothing happened; and the nightmares . . . .

The nightmares I had after Blade, what he did, didn't stop. Yeah, they slowed down, but they were still there. Sometimes, they were even worse than before, scarier. It was like he was somewhere making them this way from some distant place.

But, during this break, I was gonna relax, let the stress and fears disappear and fade away. All I was gonna focus on was Edward with maybe some wedding plans here and there. Even that, though, probably wouldn't happen.

Well, I'll have to keep the werewolf/vampire drama from turning into something unnecessary, but that shouldn't be too bad.

I was running away again, but this time, I knew where I was running. Deep in the cold, dark, wet winter woods with nothing but a ravenous vampire chasing after me, hunting me for blood—revenge—I was running for Edward.

Of course, running from a vampire is useless, especially when he knows where you and everyone you care about live. Even when you're in the process of becoming a vampire, it's still useless.

All of the sudden, he appeared in front of me, that same wicked grin on his lips as he had the entire time before . . . .

"No," I breathed, stepping away from him. "Edward!"

He grabbed me by my shirt only so that he could rip it off as he threw me onto the ground. "Eddie's not here, Mayzie, dear. Screaming for him is pointless. I told you I would be back."

"No!" I gasped, bolting up in the bed. In that process, I nearly collided with Edward, who was laying beside me, and I had woken up a sleeping Auggie. When I stared at him, wide-eyed, he realized what had just happened in an instant.

"Another dream . . . ."

I swallowed and nodded stiffly, finding the action rather hard. I didn't have to use my words, which was good, because I wasn't one hundred percent sure I could.

He pulled me into his arms gently, holding me close to his chest. "Mayzie, baby, he's not going to hurt you. I won't let him."

"I know," I whispered, voice hoarse and raspy.

He sighed. "Good."

When I finally took a good look at him, after a few more minutes of just sitting in his arms, I realized that he had changed already, so he wouldn't have to go into the bathroom and change or anything. Charlie knew about him staying in my room with me at nights, but he trusted us, so he didn't care. Edward could just park the car in the driveway and leave it there. Alice would just run over here, because she didn't mind, and it made things easier.

It was still dark outside, and it was snowing too. The violent wind was smashing the limbs of the tree into my window, but it was usual. The windows here in Forks seemed to be stronger than they were back in Phoenix.

I picked up my phone to see what time it was. If it was too early, I would go back to sleep. If it wasn't too early but not quite late enough to get up, I would talk to Edward. If it was really close to time to get up, which I highly doubted, then I would just go ahead and get up.

Three seventeen . . . hmm . . . .

Right when I put my phone back down on my bedside table, it started playing Bring the Ruckus quite loudly.

My eyebrows furrowed, but I answered it, since that's what phones are for nowadays. "Um, Em?"

"You're up!" he exclaimed brightly, almost as if he would laugh if he was here. "Up to anything? Showing Edward what manhood is like by chance?"

I rolled my eyes. "Emmett, we've already told you. We're not having sex until the honeymoon. Period."

Edward's lips started hungrily kissing down my neck, making me blink in surprise. Usually, he got irritated with Emmett's usual questions, but he seemed to be embracing it, which only made sticking to our usual answer harder than it already was.

I sucked in a quick breath.

"What was that?" Emmett asked curiously. "A gasp of pleasure, perhaps?"

"You are seriously too obsessed with our nonexistent sex life," I said firmly. "Get a new interest. Ooh. Here's a thought. Worry about your own. From what I hear, Rose is mad at you."

"She's not anymore, but she and Esme went out hunting together, just the two of them," he informed me. "So, I've got no one else's to worry about. Jasper and Alice are doing it as we speak, and, well, that leaves you two."

"I really didn't need to know that."

His deep, booming laugh echoed through the speakers. "I know, but I told you anyways."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm aware of that, Em."

"So, I've got something to tell you," he said brightly, changing the subject.

"If it's about my sex life, or anyone else's, for that matter—sex in general—I'm hanging up," I warned.

"It's not," he assured me. "I'm drinking orange juice."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Em, blood in an orange juice carton is not orange juice."

He grunted. "You, Edward, are a fun killer."

Edward just rolled his eyes and kissed my forehead softly. "I'll be right back, love."

"I'll be right back, love," Emmett mimicked with a teasing tone. "Gosh, Edward, you have got to get back to the Edward we all know and love. I mean, you're just so different around her."

Edward's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not different, Em."

But, before I could protest, he ran out. Auggie debated going with him, but when she saw me still sitting on my bed, she changed her mind and just laid back down to go to sleep.

I scowled. "Are too."

"I know!" he exclaimed. "Anyways, wanna know something else?"

"Sex related?"

"Not at all," he said honestly. "I'm having a trashcan party tonight. Wanna come?"

"What in the hell is a trashcan party?" I asked slowly, unsure if I wanted to know or not.

But, the mention of the word party reminded me of something . . . .

Today was my seventeenth birthday.

I was seventeen.

Holy shit.

"Is it illegal to make random trees in the woods by my house explode?" I heard him ask, right as I came back to my senses and Edward sat down on the bed beside me, looking at the phone as if it was the oddest thing he had ever seen.

I laughed. "I'm fairly certain there's a law against that."

"Will I go to jail?"

"No, no," I murmured, eyes now locked on Edward. "Probably just a fine."

"Sweet!" he exclaimed, making me jump a little in surprise. "I know what I'm gonna do today!"

"Oh no," Edward groaned, falling back on the bed. "Emmett, do you remember what happened the last time you tried to blow random trees up?"

There was a few seconds of pause on the other end before Emmett's voice came through again, soft and almost child-like. "Yeah . . . ."

"Remind me again," Edward said lightly, voice full of humor. At the same time, though, I could tell he was one hundred percent serious.

"Tanya's hair caught on fire, and she had to get it cut to fix it . . . and she almost killed me . . . and it almost burnt the Denalis' house down."

"Uh huh," Edward said firmly. "Don't do it, Emmett. With Mayze's luck, she'll some how get caught in it."

He sighed. "Fine. Oh shit! Um, Mayzie-pop? I think there's an evil ninja hiding in my closet!"

"There is no evil ninja hiding in your closet," I said firmly, gazing at Edward with confused eyes.

He simply shrugged and mouthed, "It's Emmett."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," I said slowly.

"I think there is," he disagreed.

I slowly shook my head. "What the fuck? You're a vampire! Why does it even matter?"

"I don't know."

"You need help," I said firmly. "I'm about to hang up."

He started maniacally laughing, before I could even start to pull the phone away. "Why? Are you gonna try to get a good blow job in before school?"

I just threw my phone across the room and into the wall, eyes tight and arms folded over my chest in my stubborn sort of way.

Edward walked over and pressed the end button for me with a bright, yet small, smile spread across his lips. "You know he's just messing with you, Mayzie, right?"

"I know," I sighed. "It's just, I'm having a hard enough time resisting as it is, and he's not helping."

Right about then, my phone started ringing again. This time, it was Have Faith In Me by A Day to Remember, which was a ringtone I hadn't heard in forever. It was so surprising that I had to see the name on my caller ID to actually believe it.

"Oliver!" I squeaked, surprising Edward completely.

His soothing, warm laugh calmed me down a little, because I was freaking. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Now that I've gotten that out . . . hey, Mayzie-boo. What have you been up to, dearest?"

"Oh, nothing much," I said casually, laughing a little at Edward's tight expression. "Just going to school, falling in love, getting engaged—the usual."

I could almost hear him roll his eyes. "Of course. You find no one here in Phoenix, and you move to a small town like Spoons—"

"Forks," I corrected.

"Forks," he changed. "Whatever. And you're engaged before you're even seventeen."

I smiled sweetly, even though he wouldn't see me. "Yeah . . . ."

"When do I need to fly up for the wedding?"

"You totally just read my mind," I said brightly. "It's at the beginning of June." I glanced at Edward, and he just held up a four, knowing that's what I was talking about. "June fourth. You should come up before, as in, you know, as soon as school gets out."

"Of course," he laughed. "So, tell me about this fiancé of yours, and I'll tell you about how things have been with me."

I couldn't help it when that bright smile, my Edward smile, spread across my lips, and it calmed Edward down a little. "Well, Oliver, I don't know where to start."

"Personality, and then tell me how hot you think he is," he suggested. "Because I know that's coming."

I grinned. "Of course. Well, he's . . . my exact dream guy. When I say that, I mean that quite literally. He's funny; sweet, but not too sweet; mysterious; unexpected; strong, beyond what you would believe; muscular; tall; and, Oliver, I could go on, but I'm sure you don't have that much time, and you're gonna meet him soon anyways." I gasped. "You should come up here for Christmas!"

"I actually was calling to talk to you about that, partially," he said honestly. "I've missed you too damn much, Mayzie-boo. Of course, Brooklyn really doesn't care, but Sapphire, Brynk, Karma, and I all miss you."

I sighed. "I miss you guys so much."

"I know," he laughed. "But, back to you and your fiancé. Go ahead. Say it. I know you want to."

I grinned up at Edward, who was giving me a curious look. "Well . . . I'm just gonna be honest. He's fucking sexy, Oliver. I'm talking sexy, emphasis on the sex part."

"Because that's probably what you've got on your mind right now," he said simply, rolling his eyes. I knew this because I knew Oliver. "You, Mayzie-boo, have to be the horniest girl I know. I mean, you never fantasized about an actual person. It was always about this dream guy of yours."

I laughed. "Yes, and they're one and the same."

"Exactly?"

"No," I disagreed, uselessly shaking my head. "He's much better—much, much, much sexier than I would've imagined. He could turn men gay, but he wouldn't be gay with them. He's just too straight for that. It would be a hit and run kinda thing."

Edward simply couldn't hold it back. When Oliver simply just said, "Wow," he busted out laughing.

"Is he there?" Oliver asked curiously. "Lemme talk to him!"

I scowled. "Shouldn't you be going to school, or getting ready for it anyways?"

"It's not even four thirty in the morning," Oliver snorted. "Are you getting ready? Wait. Why in the hell is he there anyways? Your dad lets him stay the night there?"

I bit my lip. "Yeah . . . ."

There was a pause, but only a brief one. "And you're still a virgin, right?"

"Yes," I said honestly. "Trust me on that one, Oliver. We both want to wait until we're married."

He laughed. "While you secretly both want each other, right?"

"I want to talk to him," Edward insisted, shocking me completely.

I was gawking at him. "Um, yeah. Oliver . . . he wants to talk to you . . . and I'm kinda worried. Don't embarrass me, okay?"

"Oh, you know I will," he laughed. "Yes!"

I just handed Edward the phone and hurried over to the computer, where I logged on and planned to check my Facebook. I had made one back in Phoenix, and I couldn't even remember the last time I checked it.

If I distracted myself, I wouldn't be embarrassed.

"Oh, hell yeah," Edward said brightly, making me blink. "She really makes me sound way better than I really am."

"You're amazing," I said firmly. "Get the fuck over it."

Damn. One hundred and forty-seven notifications, two hundred and six friend requests, and seventy-two messages?

I just scanned over the notifications, not really looking at any of them, and then, I decided to look at the friend requests.

Mostly all of them were people here at Forks.

So they had found me. Interesting.