Bella's POV
I can believe it has only been five days since I started living with Charlie. I feel like I've lived here my whole life. I wish…. Anyway, I fit right in here. I started cooking all the meals when Charlie tried to make breakfast for me and I awoke to the smell of smoke. Charlie somehow managed to make the microwave burst into flames and when I ran down (without tripping! yes I'm very proud) I found him covered in flour and trying to bake his pancake batter in the microwave. With the spoon still in the batter. Oi vey. Five minutes later Japer panicked when he found me on the ground in tears, but Charlie explained to him that I was laughing at him and he joined me. It hurt my ribs so bad to laugh that hard but it was so worth it. To say the least, I have now claimed the kitchen as a boy-free zone, except for Jasper when he wants to help me cook dinner.
I have become really close to my brothers over the past few days. With Jasper it was easy getting to know him. We cook together every night now and just talk and laugh. He always seems to know what I'm feeling and tries to cheer me up when I'm low. I have to make a bit more of an effort with Emmett. We don't really like the same things, so he offered to teach me how to play video games. I told him I wasn't going to be very good at Halo or anything like that so he pulled out a game called Portal. Its kind-of a creepy puzzle game, but I'm getting pretty good at it with Emmett's help.
Jake has made Charlie's house his home away from home, I think. I asked Emmett why he is around so much and he just said that they have been friends for years until he started Dating Rosie. Over the months he had tried to patch things up, but there was still a lot of tension. Jake started spending more and more time on the rez, until I showed up.
It surprised me how easy it was to fall back into my old friendship with Jake. He came up to me the day after I was at the hospital and apologized to me for his rude behavior. I told him I knew he was just trying to help, and there was nothing to forgive. I had forgotten how smiley the kid was and is. His smiles are like a little ray of sunshine you can help but smile back at. He makes me feel nice and wanted.
Luckily the rest of my week went by without incident, except for my return to the hospital for a blood work-up. Yuck. I passed out from the smell of my own blood half-way through, much to Dr. Cullen's amusement. I should get the results by next week, and I'm dreading it, knowing with James that it is far too likely that he gave me a STD. But I'm trying not to think about it. On a happier note, I am going to the big beach party down in La Push tonight. I'm nervous to see what everyone will think of me, but Jake has reassured me that everyone will love me. Right.
I look through my new wardrobe for something a bit warmer. Even though it's late August I will probably still get cold after the sun goes down. I go for casual and throw on a pair of skinny jeans, a blue tank top and a black jacket. I hear Jake calling for me to hurry up as I apply the last of my make-up and try not to trip down the stairs. We all hop into Emmett's jeep and head off to the beach.
"Are Rose and Alice going to be there? I can't wait to meet them!" Emmett and Jasper give each other a look and Jake stares moodily out the window. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Of course not Bella," Jasper replies, "Rosalie and Alice are going on a shopping trip in Seattle so they won't be able to come with. They like to go shopping together a lot; sometimes they even skip school for it." Jasper added with a laugh.
I cringed; shopping was not my favorite activity to say the least. "I should have known from my closet!" I laughed, trying to brighten Jakes mood. "Sooo, Jake, who is going to be there?"
"Umm… let me think, Sam, Quil and their imp-uhh girlfriends Emily and Claire, Jared and his girlfriend Kim, Paul, Embry, Leah, Mike, Jessica, Tyler and his girlfriend Lauren, Angela, Eric, and the rest of the sophomore, junior and senior classes." Jake seemed a bit distracted so I just kept talking.
"Dang, this is going to be a pretty big party then, huh?" I now I was getting really nervous. Remembering my high school back in Phoenix, my sophomore class had about seven hundred students in it, and my entire high school was about three thousand five hundred students total. How are we all gonna fit on one beach?
Jasper added, "It's probably not as bad as you are thinking, our whole school has about three hundred kids, so probably less than two hundred will show up." Well hallelujah. It was still a pretty big crowd, but much more manageable that what I was thinking.
"Thank heavens!" I sighed in relief. Then the tree line broke and I caught my first glimpse of First Beach. A lot of students were already there, food tables set up buffet style lined the border between the trees and the beach, and half the people there were swimming and the other half eating. Wonder what I'm not going to be doing.
We parked and got out of the car. Emmett threw me over his shoulder with a shout, "You want to go swimming Bells?" He ran toward the shore line with me in tow, me screaming like a banshee.
"EMMETT SWAN YOU PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW OR I'LL…!" My yells were cut off as a dark figure crashed into Emmett, knocking me off his shoulder as the figure landed on me. I screamed in pain as he crushed my healing ribs.
Suddenly the weight was lifted off my body. I looked up and saw that the figure who had crushed and pinned me to the ground was now just staring at me. I waited for a moment for him to get off but he didn't. "Do ya mind getting off?" I said it a little harsher than I wanted to, but I was in a lot of pain.
He blinked. "Oh crap, I'm so sor…" he started to apologize but Emmett interrupted him.
"Get off her ya big oaf!" He kicked him hard in the stomach, throwing him off me and started to help me up. "Are you okay Bells? Do we need to take you back to the doctor?" He looked at me head to toe, searching for any injuries.
"Stop fussing Emmett I'm fine..." In truth, im pretty sure ill have bruises for the next month, but I've had worse. At this point Jacob and Jasper caught up. Jasper brushed the sand out of my hair while Jake just glared daggers at the guy who ran into Emmett and me.
Satisfied I was okay Emmett started teasing me. He put both hands on my shoulders. "Well Bells, ya got lucky this time, but next time this idiot won't be around to save ya." With a wink he went off to go grab some food.
"You sure you're alright?" Jasper asked.
"I've had worse." I muttered truthfully. Jasper nodded, his eyes full of... Pride? I smiled. I liked that he was proud of my strength. Jasper never gave me pity, which I was thankful for.
Then the man from before piped up, "What do you mean you've had worse?" I turned; I didn't think anyone else would be able to hear that except Jasper. Now that I got a good look at him, I noticed he was half naked wearing only some cut-off shorts. I glanced at his six-pack and then back up at his face.
"Uhhmmm… Who are you again?"
A/N: I know, I know, super cliffy, but now is the time to vote! Did he imprint, and if so, who is he? Or should Bella end up with Jake? Or maybe have two imprints! Or I guess she could still choose Edward, even if she has an imprint. It's up to you, so please review!