DISClaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer. I make no profit from this.I don't own Marmite, but all the mentions of it are also dedicated to badwolfrose... because I love my love-it friend... I also do not own any of the footy/soccer teams in here... though that would be cool.
Hope you enjoy this.
-x-
"Just for marmite?" I put an arm around him, kissed his cheek.
"Well… mainly for marmite."
-x-
Max's POV (continued straight from the last chapter)
"Oh." He sounded very hopeful then.
"Don't get your hopes up, prat." I poked his ribs as I passed him, picking up my coat from Jacob's bed and striding downstairs, finding Jake sitting on the sofa, lazily flicking through the sports channels. "Football on?" He paused on the NFL channel.
"Oh… I mean…" I didn't want the word to pass my lips. "Soccer."
"Oh… right." Jake smiled at me, "We're gonna have to clear that one up before we go much further," He laughed, loud and rumbling and I was slightly unnerved. I hated Americanisms sometimes.
"Football is football," I argued, like I had done so many times before, "Because you can only handle it with your feet, see Jake?" I explained with a laugh. He flicked through a couple of channels as I spoke, finding some soccer highlights. A live game was on next, according to the on-screen schedule.
"Really? Is that it? I did wonder…" He smirked and Seth sat down beside him, stretching his legs out to watch whatever game was on.
"Who's playing?" Seth said, eyes focussed on me for a few minutes, he didn't appear to be listening to Jake.
"D.C. United against the Kansas City Wizards." A pause, "Then they're gonna preview the new Seattle guys."
"Cool," Seth was listening now, "I bet you their forward doesn't last ten minutes. He'll take him off." Oh, god of gods - they know football!
"Bet you he'll keep him on until the end of the period."
"Half, pillock." I couldn't help butting in.
"He'll keep him on 'til the end of the half, then." He paused, grinning, "You in, English?" I laughed and sank down on the armchair in the corner.
"You'd be surprised how many times I've heard that."
"Really?"
"We had a lot of lodgers. We played a lot of cards. We bet quite a bit."
"Well good." He smiled, "I'll ask again, you in then, English?"
"Fine, he'll keep him on for twenty minutes; take him off, change the formation around to four-three-three, better aggression that way."
"Four-three what?" I rolled my eyes.
"Four defenders, Four midfield, two deep wingers… so it's like there are three strikers." I stopped, "So it's like there are three Forwards."
"Oh." Seth seemed to be getting all of it, Jake was nodding.
"How much are we betting?" I couldn't help wondering.
"It's the usual."
"Which would be?"
"Well…" Jake looked at Seth and grinned, "We'll have to think of one for you, won't we?" I sighed, knowing I should have expected nothing less.
"Well… at home, it used to be me making dinner for the night."
"Well…" Jacob smirked, "You can make dinner for the whole pack, then."
"Not so bad." I returned, "There are what… sixteen of you?"
"Plus imprints." Seth added, "Or were you not going to eat?"
"Touché. Thought I'd get away with that." I smiled, "But, I've said it before, and I'll say again… Perceptive, you are… and deceptively quick." He winked and smiled at me. "What're your forfeits?"
"Well," Jacob smiled, "Usually, I have to relinquish all my injunctions on the winner for a week, and wear high heels until the night's out." I bit my lip, imagining him wobbling around in red stilettos and trying to suppress all my laughter. Didn't work exactly and I sniggered loudly. "Seth, you want to tell your imprint your marvellous forfeit?"
He went bright pink and looked down at the floor. I held out my hand and gripped his shoulder, smiling.
"Go on…" I goaded gently.
"It involved the guys and make up." He said hollowly, and I realised exactly what he meant. And why he didn't want to tell me. It was humiliating, I guess...
"Makeovers, Jacob?" I tried my best to look unimpressed, though there was a giggle bubbling up inside me. "That's bloody immature."
"He's a very pretty girl, though, Maxxie." He pouted girlishly.
"Don't call me that."
"Whatever, he's still a pretty little girl." I had to snigger again, looking at Seth. He laughed, turning bright pink.
"You poor thing!" I got up and ruffled his hair, then looked at Jacob. "Do you guys want a drink? If so where are your glasses… or your drinks, for that matter?"
"Oh, right…" I must have looked surprised, because he explained almost immediately, "I'm used to the guys helping themselves… and not asking." He grinned, "Yeah, um, I could drink. Kitchens through there-" he pointed, "Fridge is behind the door. I'm not bothered with a glass."
"Me too." Seth looked up at me, still smiling slightly, though his embarrassed blush was fading fast. "Please."
"No problems." I smiled, going to the fridge and finding two beers for the guys and a can of fizzy for me, returning with them to find the boys arguing over a free kick.
"Guys… please." I threw them their drinks, "Don't argue. 'S just a game."
"It was never a kick though." Seth said softly. "And it's our forward." I resisted the urge to growl Striker at them.
"Wait for the replay, you'll see, Maxxie." Jacob said without looking up from the game.
"Maxxie?" I said softly. "S'cuse me? When did my name get shortened and lengthened?" I was slightly affronted. My brother Ben had called me Maxxie, and I hadn't heard it in ages.
"When I wanted it to be." Jacob grinned. I rolled my eyes and tore them away from Seth long enough to see the replay. It wasn't a free kick at all.
"He dived." I stated simply. "And he's coming off." Oh, bugger. The game had only been on for seven minutes. "There goes my bet."
"Seth wins." Jacob applauded sarcastically. "So you're making dinner for the pack tonight, and I'm wearing heels all night."
"Great. What do you guys eat?" I suddenly saw the mammoth task before me.
"Forget about that until after the game." The boys said, and I had to agree with them. This was the American version of the premiership, and I wasn't going to put off sport for anything. I was a considerable tomboy, I supposed. Oh well. I enjoyed it for the hour and a half, but it was no Gunners/Spurs cup-tie.
Jake lost himself in the sports channels for another hour and a half after the game, which gave me some time to look through the Black's fridge. To be honest, there wasn't a lot in there. Just some steak - barely enough for one - and a few pieces of chicken.
Seth had followed me into the kitchen, sat on the counter as I leaned into the fridge.
"There's nothing in here but steak, beer and chicken… oh, and some milk." I pulled it out and sniffed it. "Some yoghurt, more like." I put it on the sideboard and Seth went to sniff it. "Don't! It's-"
"Uugh." He groaned and held it as far from his face as possible. "Damnit!"
"How far's the store?"
"Not too far. Five minutes there, five back…"
"Half hour wandering the aisles." I added sarcastically.
"Actually, about ten. There's not much there… it's kind of small... But it'll be enough. You got twenty bucks on you?" I looked at him, nodding.
"In my bag." I grinned and went to get it. Jake caught me as I started rummaging for my purse. All my worldly cash had been changed into dollars, so I was pretty set, for now.
"Not running out on dinner, are you, Maxxie?" He grinned as I straightened up with the money.
"Stop calling me that, Jakey." He pulled a face, "Exactly. No, I'm gonna go with Seth to get some decent food. You've got rotten milk and Steak. That won't satisfy sixteen hungry wolves…" I paused, hesitating slightly, "Plus imprints."
"Plus imprints." He grinned, "They said they'd be over at seven." He said more to Seth than me, but grinned at me as he spoke. "They're gonna arrive kind of staggered, so they can get over the whole… British-girl-imprint-thing…"
"I kind of take offence." Seth and I spoke at the same time, he looked at me, and I grinned back.
"I'm joking. They're gonna be here later, anyway." He laughed. "And I'll fulfil my forfeit then too…" Seth punched the air and laughed.
"Don't take the Mickey, Seth. That's harsh." I grinned.
"I only-" He pouted and started to apologise.
"I only said it was harsh. We've been over this before. You can still do it… it's just harsh."
Seth's POV
I had two baskets full of food, and she had at least two as well. We were still striding up and down the aisles, pretty aimlessly, to be honest, but I was enjoying just wandering around with her, listening to her muse aloud, wondering whether her savings would last cooking for wolves, whether she would have to do this, or that, or which would be better-
"Seth!" She yelped my name and I snapped back to the present. "Good. You've not gone soft in the head." I grinned sheepishly, pink-faced. "For the fourth time, do you know where you can find tomato paste?"
"Ketchup, you mean?"
"No…" She shook her head, "That's tomato sauce. I mean stuff you can chuck into pasta sauce."
"The guys aren't big fans of Italian." I smiled, "But it's very nice of you-"
"I'll make it anyway… I want some variation… and maybe the girls like it."
"Touché." I smiled at her and threw an arm awkwardly around her shoulders. She leaned against me. "Follow me."
"Oh…" She paused, stopping halfway down the aisle, and looked up at me, "And where would I find the jam and stuff?"
"Jam?" A pause, "You mean Jelly?" She rolled her eyes, clearly not getting the whole American thing.
"Yes." She looked like she was fighting the urge to punch something. "I mean Jelly."
"Hey, go back to England and get some Jam if you don't like the jelly." I remembered reading that from one of my older books - the teenage ones that had been left to yellow on the floor of my bedroom. She laughed.
"I would, but I think I prefer it here."
"Oh, well, good. Because I think I'd go insane if you left." I steered her toward the sandwich spreads and let her take a look. I was becoming very forward around her. I didn't want to terrify her too much.
"I'm gonna get a couple of these… do you mind?" She looked up at me. "I was kind of hoping they'd have marmite," She sighed as she straightened up. "Oh well. I guess I'll have to hope…"
"I'll get mom to check out the store in Forks… She might be going to Port Angeles soon, too…"
"It's alright-"
"No, I'll ask her… you don't have to worry - it's only asking."
Max's POV
Thirty-five dollars later, I'm sitting in Jake's truck, Seth steering nonchalantly beside me.
"Well, I think this'll do us alright, don't you?"
"Should do… unless Embry or Jared are really hungry."
"Am I gonna get confused with all the names?" I suddenly worried aloud, then, "Will they like me?"
"Yes." He smiled, "They'll all like you."
"Good." He wraps his arm around me and pulls me across the bench seat so I'm leaning against his side. "Can you cook?" He looked at me, absolutely stunned.
"Me? I'm a wolf. I am not good at cooking. I eat mine raw."
"Ew!"
"In wolf form!" He clarified quickly. "Crap, no that's disgusting… when I'm human, I'm human-"
"Tell me you don't eat squirrels." I blurted, "Not the cute and fluffy squirrels!" I groaned melodramatically. He grinned and laughed, squeezing me a little tighter.
"Very funny." He grinned. "Come on," I realised we had pulled up outside Jacob's house. There was another car outside, on the driveway, and I looked at it as I passed. "Paul's here."
I closed my eyes and nodded.
"Paul," I echoed simply, followed Seth into the house, he was carrying the largest two shopping bags, and I had the smaller one.
"Seth, Maxxie?" I pulled a furious face as Jacob called out.
"He'll stop that soon," Seth grinned, pulled me close and kissed the top of my head, awkwardly, considering the stupid shopping. "You'll be fine." Then he looked up into the hallway and grinned. "Yeah, it's us."
"Cool."
"We've got the dinner… but I'll be about half an hour, an hour maybe, before you can eat."
"Oh… OK." Jake sounded slightly dejected, but grinned as he found us in the kitchen minutes later. Seth was watching me flit around the room, pulling things out of bags and finding knives and pots and pans.
Ten minutes later, everything was cooking nicely, and Seth was watching me nervously from the doorway.
"Paul will be down in five minutes - he's just had a shower, so he won't be lon-" he started to explain, but was cut off by the appearance of a six-foot-eight-man-beast who could only have been Paul.
"Who's this then?" His voice was as deep as he was tall. I stared at him for a second, he grinned and I blushed darkly.
"M-" I got one letter out before I had to breathe again. "Max." I stuttered my way through my words, "Is every wolf as tall as you? You're terrifying! Oh, my god… I don't think I got enough food-"
"You're cooking?" He boomed and I squeaked. "Don't be scared…"
"He has his phasing under control, Maxxie!" Jacob shouted from the living room. I looked daggers at him through the walls.
"Git." I muttered.
"Thank you!" He shouted back at me. I blushed, half wondering how he could hear me, but generally consumed with frustration. Before I could open my mouth to reply, Seth had grabbed me in a tight hug and grinned.
"Hey, Jake, could I use your computer quickly?" He said, and when Jacob assented, he disappeared without letting me question where on earth he was going. It was nosy to want to know, I know, but I was curious. I left it when I smelled the chicken.
"Shit!" Paul had pulled it from the oven in time, the edges of the meat were slightly crisped, but it wasn't burnt yet.
"Sorry!" I squeaked back, here was a man, six foot eight, holding a burning hot metal tray in his fingers. Bloody hell. The world was screwed up more than I thought.
"It's OK…" He was looking at his hands as though he was in considerable pain, though.
"Put the bloody tray down, you prat!"
"Thank you for saving the chicken, Paul, I don't know what we would have eaten if you hadn't…" he started sarcastically. I looked at him, and laughed. I don't think he quite knew what was funny, but I kept giggling at the ridiculousness of the whole situation.
"Thank you, Paul." I spluttered through my laughter, he grinned and I alleviated him of the tray - wearing a tea towel as an oven glove, of course - what do you think I am, stupid? "I'll save you some extra pasta." He pulled a face. "It's good for you. And I make the sauce myself."
It was about the only thing I could cook from scratch perfectly, though I would give it all a go.
"Well then, I'll have to try it." Jacob appeared at the doorway, "Paul, where are the other guys?"
"Patrol." He said, as though it explained everything. "Seth's on tonight, remind me to tell him." I looked up at the mention of Seth's name and Jacob smiled.
"Don't worry, Maxxie," I let out a growl. Who knew I could? I was damn surprised at the volume and intensity of it, but Jacob seemed completely unfazed. In fact, he was laughing. "It's not dangerous at all."
"Oh… OK." I nodded and turned back to the dinner. "How long are the rest of you going to be?"
"They shouldn't be long," Seth appeared, jogging down the stairs, grabbing his jacket as he flew out the door. "Won't be long either! Half hour! Save me something!"
I stared, dumbstruck, as he disappeared out of the door and into the forest.
"What. The. Hell?" Paul was looking at Jacob, Jacob was staring at me.
"I hoped you'd know." He said to the pair of us, never taking his eyes from my face, I knew he was talking to me.
I didn't.
-x-
A/N: Please review and let me know how I did... :P
So, where's Seth gone? I'm curious to see if anyone's clicked yet... hmmm... *waits to see...*
And i'm still waiting on two bets... please?!
And she'll meet the pack next chapter. i just went overboard on the rambling here =P
I'm really glad you all like it... so i'd appreciate more feedback...
And i'm really, really happy that you keep reading :)
Love you guys
xxx