Literally none of my old readers are reading this, don't ask me how I know, I just know. And if you are out there, don't be shy and let me know in the reviews (you can yell at me, I don't mind). Also know that I started this story when I was 13 and last time I touched it was when I was 16. NOW I'M A FULL FLEDGE ADULT WHO READS SHAKESPEARE FOR FUN.
In other words I haven't read Twilight in 5 years and don't remember a single thing from the canon series or from this story I wrote (except for the 3 chapters I read and laughed at :P (still using emoticons like a loser tho)). So without further ado, to whom ever may still be reading: here's another chapter to a hiatus story that hasn't been updated in 2 years. Yay!
(Also I promise I'm a better writer than this, but I'm going to match the writing style from way back when)
Lakota's point of view
"Are you sure you don't want to pretend to be in love? Jacob will never see it coming," Kim presses, leaning heavily into my side and looking increasingly more desperate for my compliance. Rachel, for her part, is looking more and more amused rather than annoyed at Kim. I don't even know what side she's on anymore.
"You know who else won't see it coming?" I ask, shoving Kim away for the umpteenth time, "Jared. Jared won't see it coming, and I wouldn't put it past him to spontaneously combust if he's stupid enough to fall for it." Pouting and looking only slightly convinced Kim seems to get the hint of what a terrible idea being fake girlfriends is and instead turns to Rachel as if she'll help convince me. I take their distraction as a good opportunity to quietly leave the room without a shadow.
Somebody please tell me why I thought it'd be a good idea to have a girls night.
"Awe, is somebody feeling smothered?" Choking on absolutely nothing I flinch back from Rachel's sudden appearance. Wasn't she just in the living room placating Kim!? I know for a fact that girl didn't have a single drop of shape-shifter in her, no way she could move that fast. Or that quiet for a matter of fact! When did she get up to follow? Was I not stealthy enough in my escape?
Frowning, I point an accusing finger directly in her face.
"You nugget, you nearly killed me!" Rachel scoffs and takes my vulnerability as an opportunity to manhandle me towards the backdoor.
"If I wanted to kill you I think I'd just go for some classic stabbing, there'd be too much of a chance of you surviving a heart attack. I can't have any loose-ends in a murder plot." That….is a very good point. I squint at her and only get a straight face in response. I squint a little harder to see if I missed any sort of face-tick because right now I could swear she was trying to tell me something...important.
"You think I should stab Jacob….?" I venture, and then nod a little because that sounds like some solid Rachel advise.
"What!? No! Jeez, Kota, I was only- no! I don't want you to stab my brother!"
"Are you sure? Because now that I'm thinking about it he'd probably just heal right away, yeah? Isn't that how that whole wolf thingymajigger works?" Opening her mouth to no doubt agree, Rachel's cut off by Seth popping out of freaking nowhere.
"Hey girls, whatsapp?" Seth asks, looking out of breath and extremely rumpled. Kind of like he ran here, in fact. Seth must've seen the look of 'where the junk did you just transport from' on our faces because his face goes red and he shoves his hand in his pockets. He looks guilty. And sweaty. Everyone knows guilty and sweaty is the worst combination.
"I think we should be asking you what's up. You look like you just robbed a bank," Rachel laughs, poking Seth in the ribs. He weakly swats her hand away, his eyes shifting to look beyond the treeline. Probably a squirrel or something.
"Yeah! Or you just found out that you were adopted and that you had a archenemy who had it out for you since you were born," I pipe in, looking behind Seth's shoulder to see if anyone was following him. Like his archenemy. An archenemy who was a total anti-Seth. So, like, small and white with long hair and a non-cute personality.
Which I guess could be just about anybody. Except maybe it'd be a girl, a girl named Htes. Yeah. That narrows it down.
"Uhm, sure. What Lakota said," Rachel says after a long pause, rolling her eyes and turning back towards Seth for the real reason. Although I'm pretty sure I was spot on with the whole nemesis thing.
"Okay I- Jacob kind of wants to kill me," he blurts out, wringing his hands together nervously before babbling on, "it might have something to do with the fact that I called him a horrible imprint and that I'd been a better friend to you then him and then I think maybe he thought I was threatening him? Either way he shifted and he was chasing me and I think he's coming here and I just wanted to say that I was sorry and that I tried my best and please don't be mad at me but I think you and Jacob need to talk." Wow. A+ for saying all that in one breath and oh, he's staring at me. Why is he looking at me? Am I supposed to say something? Uh…oh Taha Aki, jesum uhm…
"...did you try hitting him with a rolled up newspaper?" I try, shrugging my shoulders a little. Seth groans loudly.
"This is what I get for getting in the middle of imprint drama," he breathes out, practically collapsing onto the floor with his head between his knees. Rachel and I share an equally startled look.
"So, let's get this straight, Jacob's coming here to kill you?" Rachel asks, patting Seth on his shaved head awkwardly.
"Yes." Rachel purses her lips, glancing between Seth and I curiously. I stick my tongue out at her for the hell of it. That seems to help Rachel make up whatever decision was storming up in her pretty little head.
"Alright. I'm going to take Kim out of here and you're going to stay here to protect Lakota if Jacob's anger gets out of hand and, Lakota," Rachel says, turning to me again with a very serious look, "you and Jacob are going to talk. Threaten him, yell at him, and make him grovel all you want, but just make sure that he understands there's an ultimatum between you and Bella and if he decides that he can't choose you have to make sure you know why. Understood?" Blinking rapidly I play her whole speech over in my head and start to nod slowly.
"Yes, I think so," I start, then pause, "so you actually don't want me to stab him?"
"What!?" Seth squeaks out, head popping up and looking like he was about to actually break down. Rachel waves him off and doesn't bother answering either of our questions, instead she heads inside to, what I assume, extract Kim from the premises. Good riddance.
"Lakota…? Are you actually going to stab Jacob?"
"Stab me?"
"Jesum on a yard stick! Jake!" I choke, hand clutching at my nonexistent pearls while Seth does some intense ground parkour and ends up using me as a human shield. Jacob just glares over my shoulder at the kid as he cowers. Though judging by the slightest twist of his mouth I know that he's doing it just to mess with him. Poor Seth, constantly in the crossfires. Though Seth, being the oblivious victim here, only flinches back dragging me along with him by the shoulders. Jacob tenses up briefly and eyes the movement before slouching forward with a distressed growl.
"We need to talk Kota."
"Oh, now you want to talk? Just to me? Are you sure you don't want some backup? Like vampire backup, or Bella backup? You seem like you might need-"
"Kota," he says firmly, reaching a hand out and gently squeezing my hand in his. Gulping a little I can't help but twine our fingers, giving his hand a harder squeeze in turn. He smiles and tugs me forward until Seth's hands drop off of my shoulders. I smother a snort at the subtly of the gesture.
"Seth thinks you want to kill him," I say and a second later realize that I was changing the subject away from what was important. Force of habit, I suppose. I don't do well with awkward. Or relationships. Or confrontation. And confronting Jacob who happens to be a pretty awkward guy about our relationship is all three things I'm not good at all wrapped into one. So go figure.
"Oh I do," Jake confirms, baring his teeth in an intimidating grin and Seth flinches back a little, "but right now I have something- no, someone more important to talk with right now." I blink a couple of times, thoroughly unimpressed. As if Jacob can just pull off some dramatic entrance and then say a quick sorry to make everything better. No siree, not on my metaphorical watch.
"I'm very upset with you," I confess, keeping good, solid eye contact with my best friend turned boyfriend. Jacob frowns and nods, the hand that was holding mine the whole time dropping down to his side. Well, great, now my hand feels cold and lonely.
Gosh, I hope this codependent imprinting thing is only temporary.
I flex my fingers a little and stuff them into my hoodie pocket. Guess that'll be another discovery for another day.
"I know I- Quil,Embry, Seth," Jacob, the drama queen, pauses to give said person the stink eye, "have made it very clear that I've been neglecting you. Or...at least that's what it looks like."
"That's what it feels like, Jake," I correct firmly, getting pissy at his clear denial. Jacob purses his lips and hangs his head.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I just, I know I don't have an excuse, not really. But the whole us thing is new, you know?" No, not really. Maybe. Sort of. Whatever.
Jacob pauses again, his hands reaching out to grab me again but stop halfway and then retreat. I don't know whether to be disappointed or viciously happy that he's so apprehensive.
"Anyway, us. We're sort of new and I just want to do it right, you know? I want to get rid of everything bad that's happening and then focus all of my attention on you. But if I do that now I won't be able to spare a single thought for that bloodthirsty newborn army and that could….I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to you." Is that it?
"You're really paranoid," I helpfully point out, raising an eyebrow when Jacob's cheeks go a dark red in embarrassment.
"Kind of your fault."
"Oh shove it, you gremlin popper, this whole argument is about you and your weird fixation on Bella." There. I said it. Jacob looks like I slapped him in the face and I see Seth take a few steps away from us then taking a small step closer again. Weird, indecisive kid.
"I do not have a fixation on Bella!" he guffaws, arms flailing a little and his mouth opening and closing a lot. It'd be funny if I wasn't so pissed off.
"Oh really? You literally bailed on our date- the one that I got really dressed up for, by the by! -and it was all so you could, what? What was so important, Jake?"
"I- I told. I can't….there's a whole army of new vampires with absolutely no control out there and they're coming here. Yes, Bella's in danger and yes, we're friends, but if there was ever a choice between the two of you don't ever think for a second that I'd choose anybody but you. You're it for me Kota, you're my imprint, you're my soulmate, you know that." My throat feels tight and I find myself nodding slowly, searching Jacob's eyes for….I don't even know. That's what you're supposed to do though, right? Eye search your lover and all the answers will come?
"Actually," I croak, suddenly desperate for a little relief from the seriousness, "I wouldn't know about your weird butt imprint thing if it weren't for Seth. You don't get the credit." Jacob's face twitches from earnestly pleading to borderline murderous.
"Hey! No, wait! Don't drag me into this again!" Seth squawks, barely avoiding Jacob as he lunges for him. Unknowingly, my shoulders drop down from their tense state and I let out a breath as I watch Jacob chase Seth around the backyard.
There's no way I forgave Jacob fully yet, but right now….I guess I feel a little better knowing that if Bella and I were both dangling off a cliff he'd pick me to pull up.
….although theoretically with his werewolf strength he'd probably not have that hard of a time saving us both.
Whatever. We'll talk about that later.