A/n: So this chapter is on the shorter side but I figured if I kept them short I could get them out and update faster. So it's either long chapters and longer waits, or shorter chapters and shorter waits. You guys let me know your preference.

On that note...OMG 30 faves and 57 follows!? You guys are AH-MAZING! I'm glad you guys like my story so far and hop you continue to.

Some of you asked some questions in your reviews and here are the answers: Yes, Sydney is full Quileute. No, she will not be "weak" though she is human and will have her insecurities. And yes Jake is a total asshole at the moment (lol).

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Writing a character like Bella Swan would make me want to jump off a bridge. Seriously, the girl is that frustrating.

Again, I apologize for the duplicate alerts, I found some grammatical errors I had to correct to protect my sanity.

Enjoy!

"Rachel," I huffed, "You really don't have to do this."

When I had woken up the next morning, Jake was already gone. Billy had informed me during breakfast that he'd left hours ago, despite it only being eight o'clock. I knew he was avoiding me, (who gets up at the ass-crack of dawn voluntarily) and couldn't shake the dark cloud that abruptly seemed to suspend over me. It was then that Rachel arrived, saw my demeanor, and immediately dragged me out of the house.

We were currently at the Port Angeles Mall, settled at a small round table in the mist of the food court. People were giving us funny looks, and I wondered if it was because we were Quileute, or because Rachel was practically vacuuming her smoothie up her straw.

Perhaps a bit of both.

At my words, Rachel snorted, loudly, causing a group of middle-age women at the next table to give us appalled looks.

"Oh but I do." She asserted, not seeming to notice the women, or possibly not caring. Her dark eyes narrowed. "Especially if I want you to help Jake get over himself. The kid's a total pain lately."

She took another long pull from her drink and I shifted uneasily, staring fixedly at the condensation forming on my own beverage. The very beverage Rachel insisted on buying.

"But I would have tried even if you hadn't asked me to." I protested. "We were good friends once," I paused, wringing my hands as my voice dwindled, "…and I just wanted to feel that bond one more time." I finished softly.

Rachel was frowning, releasing her straw with an audible 'pop.' Again, the women were shooting her snooty looks.

"One more time?" she echoed, brows furrowed.

I immobilized, realizing my slip.

Shit!

"Yeah." I added hastily. "Like when we were little. I wanted to feel that again."

Rachel eyed me suspiciously, but I made sure to focus dutifully on my milkshake, swiftly pulling it towards me and inhaling the icy beverage so fast my brain went numb. I cringed at the sensation and Rachel snickered, practically howling with laughter a as I doubled over and clutched my temples.

Yea, har har.

Laugh it up while I experienced mild brain damage.

The gaggle of middle-age vultures were openly staring now, disapproval written clearly all over their cosmetically altered faces as Rachel guffawed rancorously.

It would have been hysterical if I wasn't the source of Rachel's howling fest.

Rude much?

As said woman was snorting like a wild boar, someone came up behind her, slinging a muscled arm casually across her shoulders. At first I thought it was Paul, and opened my mouth in greeting, only to abruptly snap it shut.

Whoever he was, he was not Paul.

Rachel didn't even flinch, turning her head to give the stranger a friendly smile in-between sniggers.

He returned it, adorable dimple flashing in his right cheek.

He seemed familiar, and I found myself studying him to pick out anything I recognized.

Like Rachel and I, he was Quileute, and ridiculously tall. He was also devastatingly attractive, in a boyish way, and nearly as stacked as Jake and Paul. I could see the muscles in his arm flexing prominently beneath his russet skin as he encircled Rachel in a loose embrace, and the ladies at the next table, as well as several others, were eying him like their next meal.

Geez. Was there something in the water or what?

"Rachey!" He greeted playfully, his jovial tone contrasting drastically with his overtly masculine appearance.

"Seth!" She returned, and my jaw practically unhinged.

No frickin' way.

This—this Adonis was Seth? The same Seth that followed Jake and I around like a lost puppy? The same Seth who was so clumsy he couldn't move without hurting himself and cried whenever his mom left for too long?

Whatever was left of my mind after that milkshake fiasco was officially blown.

It was that instant Seth noticed me, and his grin stretched to nearly cartoonish proportions.

"Sydney?"

I nodded dumbly. No sooner as I did so he was smothering me in an embrace. His skin was scorching, and I was instantly reminded of the heat I felt flowing off Jacob's form.

Were they all the temperature of a furnace?

It was bizarre to say the least.

"Great to see you!" He exclaimed, and I couldn't help smiling at his enthusiasm, even though I could feel my bones protesting against his hold. The boy clearly didn't know his own strength.

Rachel noticed my discomfort, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

"Seth, you're gonna squeeze the life out of her like toothpaste if you keep it up." She drawled and the boy immediately reared back, a sheepish expression adorning his face.

"Sorry." He apologized, cheeks flushing. I was instantly reminded of the excitable ten year old boy I knew, and felt a smile creeping on my lips.

I had never been able to get upset with him.

He was just too darn cute.

"It's fine." I assured him, and the elated grin was back.

Rachel rolled her eyes again.

"You always were too soft on him Sydney." She teased. "It made Jake super jealous."

I frowned at that.

Jake had been jealous of Seth and I?

"Why?" I inquired, baffled.

Rachel and Seth exchanged knowing looks, and I wondered if I was missing something obvious. It was Seth who decided to indulge me, hazel eyes twinkling as he slipped into the chair on my left, instantly dwarfing it.

"He didn't like sharing his time with you." He stated simply, but my reaction was anything but. I'm sure my face resembled a goldfish with the way my eyes were bugging out and lips twisted in disbelief.

"But that makes no sense!" I protested adamantly. This couldn't be for real, right? "I spent more time with him than anybody else!"

"Yeah." Rachel cut in, "But Jake can be selfish when it comes to things he considered his, and you were his friend." she eyes me pointedly, "Yet you insisted Seth could play with you guys whenever he asked."

Seth laughed.

"He would give me the dirtiest looks when you weren't looking."

Rachel snorted at that.

"Remember when he pushed you off the slide and said the wind did it?" she chortled, "You had to go home to clean up and he had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face."

Seth grimaced at the memory.

"Don't remind me." His nose wrinkled. "I got serious slide-burn that day."

The two continued to trade tales while I half-listened, mind stretching in multiple directions.

I was utterly flabbergasted.

How did I miss all that? Had Jake really been so jealous he resorted to such measures to send Seth home? Had Seth been hurt? I felt terrible.

Seth noticed my horrified look, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Relax Syd, "he beamed at me."We were all just kids back then. None of us really knew how to express ourselves properly. Jake and I are good friends now. We, along with Quil and Embry, hang out all the time."

I vaguely recalled the two boys mentioned. Embry was a total loudmouth and Quil stuck my pigtail in glue once. I punched him the nose and his mom yelled at me.

A brief smile curled my lips at the memory, before his words seemed to register.

They hung out all the time.

My pulse faltered.

Good to know it was just me he couldn't stand.

"That's good." I murmured. I attempted to make my voice neutral, but to my dismay a bit of bitterness leaked through, which neither of my tablemates missed.

Seth's fingers flexed on my shoulder, his eyes questioning.

"You okay?" he inquired and I shrugged, attempting a smile but failing miserably.

Seth's face immediately fell, his hand leaving my shoulder to scrub at his face in frustration.

"Oh shit. Syd, I'm sorry. I forgot you guys were…" he trailed off helplessly and my pulse quickened.

Was it common knowledge that Jake and I weren't getting along?

Did everybody know?

Rachel swore, causing both Seth and I to jump.

"That's it." she hissed, clenching her smoothie so tight I was afraid it would combust. Seth seemed to have a similar fear, scooting his chair subtly in my direction. "We have to separate Jake from Bella Skank ASAP." she barked, "Because this depressing shit cannot continue."

I felt my face twisting.

"But what does Bella Skan-" I caught myself, ignoring Rachel's snigger, "What does Bella have to do with Jake and I?"

"You'd be surprised." Rachel grumbled, but I didn't think I was supposed to hear it.

Seth was grimacing.

"He's just so…pathetic when she's around." He stated, eyes directed at the table. He seemed unwilling to talk about his friend, but something seemed to be urging him to continue. "It's embarrassing to watch." He revealed.

Rachel nodded in agreement.

"The girl is playing him like a fiddle and the idiot doesn't even care!" she seethed. She rolled her eyes. "Apparently he's blinded by her resting bitch face and monotone voice."

Despite the twinge of my heart, I couldn't help my eyebrows from nearly shooting into my hairline.

"Is she really that bad?" I probed.

"I really don't know her that well as a person." Seth answered diplomatically, "But what she's doing to Jake is wrong. You can't tell someone you still love them when you're with someone else."

Rachel's response was much more crass. Naturally.

"The ho' has the personality of a cardboard box, no tits, is utterly helpless, and is using my brother. You tell me how bad she is."

I bit my lip. But obviously Jake still loved her despite it all. And the other man, her boyfriend, loved her as well.

She had to be doing something right. Right?

Yet Seth seemed troubled by her. And Rachel couldn't stand her.

It was all so confusing, and I could feel my heart hammering away against my ribcage. Protesting against this Bella that I didn't even know. I wanted to push her down a flight of stairs. Or shake her until she released Jake from her web of deceit. It was startling to have such a strong reaction, and I was disturbed at my own thoughts.

Did those things really come from me?

Though I was by no means timid, I hated unnecessary confrontation, and yet…

Bella Swan can fall in a hole.

"Look guys," I croaked, still shaken by my aggressive thoughts, "I won't get involved in Jake's love-life. I'm just here to rekindle our friendship, and that is all."

Rachel didn't look impressed, leveling me with a knowing stare.

"Well I'm afraid Syd," she said, "You're making this much harder for yourself."

Rachel's words still swirled through my head as she dropped me off back at Billy's house later that afternoon.

Was befriending Jake really going to be so difficult with Bella in the picture?

Why couldn't he love Bella and still be friends with me?

It didn't make any sense.

I walked up to the Black's porch, reaching to pull the door open when it was abruptly yanked away.

I gaped at the shapely woman on the other side, instantly recognizing her as Leah Clearwater, Seth's older sister. But what was she doing here?

She was even more gorgeous than I remembered, short hair framing her attractive face charmingly, and body curvy and full in all the desired places. Like her brother, she was nonsensically tall, her Amazonian frame towering over my measly 5'6. Unlike her brother, however, her disposition was aloof and cold, her dark eyes calculating as she took me in.

"So you're Sydney." She stated. A small smirk curled her pouty lips, "I remember you. Puberty certainly didn't skimp out."

She eyed my breasts pointedly and I flushed. Last time she had seen me I had been flat as a pancake, which was understandable considering I was twelve.

She noticed my blush, smirk broadening.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here." She drawled and I shrugged, feigning nonchalance I didn't feel. The woman put me on edge for some reason, like she was a cat and I was the mouse she was toying with.

Her grin was outright sadistic now, and I eyed her warily.

"You see," she began casually. Too casually. "Jake and I have an arrangement of sorts."

Arrangement?

I frowned and her dark eyes gleamed. She was clearly enjoying this. The sadist.

"You see, I get…frustrated sometimes," she revealed. Her eyelashes fluttered dramatically. "And so does Jake. So we decided to relieve that frustration. Together."

She gave a pointed look then, the perfect epitome of the cat that ate the canary.

It felt as if I were smashed in the chest, the mentioned part of my body becoming impossibly tight at her insinuation.

What?

Bile rushed to the back of my throat as I belatedly noticed her attire. Or lack of it. A simple, flowing t-shirt that was clearly Jake's adorned her lithe form, falling tantalizingly at mid-thigh. She wasn't wearing a bra, and I could practically make out her nipples from beneath the thin fabric. Small, purplish marks littered the skin of her neck, and her hair was disheveled as if someone had tugged their fingers through it.

It was so damn obvious I berated myself for not realizing sooner.

She and Jake had slept together. And from the looks of it, had been doing so on a pretty regular basis.

My mind was spinning in circles.

But he was in love with Bella!

This didn't make any sense!

"Now I know what you must be thinking." She leered, crossing her arms and causing the shirt to shift up a bit. "Jake's in love with Gloomy right?"

I didn't answer, simply staring in disbelief, not that Leah minded.

In fact, she seemed to revel in my shock, a triumphant smile curling her lips.

"Well, apparently the girl is a total tease and would get Jake all worked up, only to boohoo how much she loved her lee- boyfriend and not seal the deal." She snickered. "That's where I come in. Jake is an eighteen year old boy with needs, so I meet them. And in return he meets mine. It's quite profitable for both parties, don't you agree?"

I felt sick, and was almost certain my face held a green hue. Just what was going on here? Jake was in love with Bella, but sleeping with Leah?

Just what had happened to him?

He was a stranger. I didn't know this Jacob.

And moreover, why was Leah telling me this? On the Black's front porch of all places!

Was she marking her territory?

"Excuse me." I mumbled, and slipped by her into the house. I could feel her looking at me as I slipped off my coat and boots, watching for a reaction.

I refused to give one, offering a politely strained smile before heading towards my room. I didn't even glance in the direction of Jake's room, though the door was wide open and I could hear him shuffling about.

My body felt strangely cold at the mere thought of seeing the evidence of Leah's words, and I bundled myself in my blankets to attempt warming my frigid insides.

It didn't work.

Apparently whatever I was feeling couldn't be remedied with a simple blanket.

A/n: yeah I know, not a lot of Jake, but I promise lots of him in the next chapter. So keep up the good work and continue reviewing! You guys are awesome!