Jacob Have I Loved
Chapter 4
10 unread text messages. The tiny screen on my cell phone reads as I ride the bus to the tribal school that Monday morning. I click the "read" button and notice that they are ALL from Quil. Great, there's no stopping him now. He's never going to let me live down what I did on Saturday. Without a second thought, I repeatedly press the "delete" key until all of Quil's messages are erased. I can always say I never got them.
I stare blindly out the window of the yellow bus as the rain beats gently again the pane. I notice Stephenie's reflection beside me in the glass. She hasn't spoken a word to me since she got on the bus. I hope she's not mad at me or anything . . .
"Jess?" Steph's lips are moving in tune with her words in the reflection. "I'm sorry about suggesting that you get with Quil."
I look over at her and give her a smile. "That's okay. I'm the one who took the bait, remember?"
"But you didn't have to listen to me." She frowns, pursing her lips. "There's something else, too."
"What?" I lift my eyebrows in curiosity.
"Jake called me last night. He's really worried about you." Steph whispers with her hand cupped around her mouth. My heart swells at the notion that Jake could be worried about me.
"What do you mean—he's worried about me?" I lower my voice as well.
"He knows how Quil is." Steph rolls her eyes. "He doesn't want to see you get hurt. He practically begged me to talk to you about it."
"Really?" Surges of sheer elation surged throughout my body. Jake was concerned about me. Could it be he possibly has forgotten this Bella chick we met a few days ago?
"Yeah, just don't say anything to him about it. I swore to him I wouldn't tell you that he called." Steph peers at me, a look of desperation crosses her face.
"Did he say anything else?" I anxiously question.
"Yeah, he's madly in love with you by the way!" She is obviously joking, for she bursts into hysterics the second she utters the words. "No, but seriously, don't tell him."
Our conversation ends as our bus reaches the Quileute Tribal School. All of our friends from our Saturday trip, with the exception of Sam, who graduated last year, attend school here, and most of our other friends are enrolled at the Quillayute Valley Public in Forks. The school has students from a variety of neighboring Native American tribes and is like a normal public school except that tribal life and customs are fused into the curriculum.
As the bus driver opens the door, I pull my backpack onto my shoulder and prepare to be inundated by Quil, who I now spy eagerly running toward the bus. Oh, why did it have to stop raining?
"Your boyfriend's waiting on ya!" Steph kids me as we step down off the bus.
"Hiya, Jess!" Quil flexes his biceps exaggeratedly as he puts his arms around me. "Can I walk you to class?"
Help me! I mouth to Stephenie as he kisses my temple.
"Um, she's walking with me today, Quil." Steph graciously relieves me, and I shrug off Quil's stronghold on my shoulders. I hurriedly scamper away, linking my arm with Steph's as we pass the school's erected totem pole and head off to Algebra class.
"Ok, well, see you at lunch, then!" I hear him call after us. His tone is clearly one of disappointment.
"How am I going to get rid of him now, Steph?" I desperately search her face as we walk inside the school building.
"Just tell him your waiting for marriage. That will make him leave you alone." Steph jestingly suggests, her red lips rising into a smirk.
I roll my eyes at her and laugh along with her as we enter our Algebra class. I notice Mr. Picha, a fellow Quileute, is already writing our homework assignment on the board.
"Haćh chi í." (pronounced hah-ch chee-EH, meaning "good morning" in Quileute) Mr. Picha looks up from the board and greets Steph and me as we take our usual seats.
"Haćh chi í." Steph and I respond in unison to our instructor, taking out our books and preparing for the never-ending lull that is quadratic equations . . .
"Hey, Jess!" I freeze, the fork still in my mouth. Quil takes a seat beside me in our school cafeteria, smiling from ear to ear. I put the fork out and chew my macaroni and cheese, feeling the previously-ingested chunks start to rise in my throat. Steph half-smiles at me from across the table as Embry positions himself next to her. She immediately blushes and seems to forget I'm there. Great, I guess I'll have to face the horny toad all by myself this time. I forcefully stab my fork like a knife into my pasta, looking for the exits.
"So, I was thinking . . ." Quil's arm is about my shoulders. I can see out the peripherals of my vision that he's eyeing my boobs. Yuck! I shouldn't have worn this V-neck shirt today. "I thought you'd like to come over this Friday. My parents are out of town. Family thing in Sequim."
Oh, no, Steph, help me! I mentally scream at her. HELP! I slam my fork down onto the tray. Everyone at the table jumps in surprise.
"Whoa, you're feisty today. Just the way I like it!" Quil muses, his lips curling at my hostility. Steph is still drooling over Embry. I have to think fast.
"Um, I don't know, Quil." I don't even grace him with eye contact as I speak. "My parents won't let me if your parents won't be there."
"You could always not tell them." He's smiling now, sure of himself or full of himself, one or the other.
"I guess so." What are you doing, woman? Where's a firedrill when you need one? Help, Steph, help!
"Actually, Jess is helping me with my English paper this Friday." A familiar, angelic voice saves me from Quil's advances. I look up only to see Jake standing behind us, his long, black hair loose about his shoulders and his blue, Aerosmith T-shirt taunt against his chest, showing his small, but contoured, muscles. My eyes flutter, and I could seriously jump him right now if we weren't in school. "Slide down one, Quil."
Quil reluctantly removes his arm from my shoulders and scoots down one seat to let Jake sit beside me. Jake places his tray down on the table as he positions himself on the little stool. He turns to me briefly, giving me a smile and a wink. My cheeks instantly flush, and I am completely smitten with my savior.
Marry me, Jake. I almost swoon, deeply inhaling his musky scent. Let's make some full-blooded Quileute babies.
"Jess?" Steph wakes me from my daydreams. "Who are you asking to the dance Saturday? You know, it's girls' choice." She suggestively nods her head toward Jake, and I know where she's going with this.
"She's asking me, of course." Quil helps himself to a French fry from Jake's lunch tray, chucking it into his mouth.
"Excuse me, Quil. Is your name Jess?" Steph's eyes throw daggers at him as she speaks and then turns back to me. Quil makes a cat-like noise and claws at her in response, munching on his fry. "Seriously . . . what about you, Jake?"
"What about me?" Jake questions, his mouth full of cheeseburger. I rapidly fan my hands at her and mouth "no." My gesture causes Jake to look over at me, and I shyly lower my arms.
"Why don't you go to the dance with Jess?" I could have killed her with the fork now resting on my tray. Stabbed. Murdered. Bleeding to death on the tiled floor. "Unless you want to ask that Bella girl from Forks?" But then, I realize where she's going with this—she's testing him.
"Sure, you wanna go with me, Jess? I'm not that good of a dancer, I'm afraid." Jake peers at me, swallowing his bite of burger. His expression appears almost hopeful.
"Ok." It's the only word I can utter. I'm completely speechless. I can't believe he actually asked me! I could have leapt across the table and planted a kiss right on Steph's lips with everyone watching. Oh, no, I've probably just wandered into one of Quil's little fantasies.
"Cool." Jake fleetingly presses his right hand to my left and returns to his cheeseburger. My hearts thumps rapidly in my chest. Steph happily gives me a satisfied grin, and my lips tell her "thank you" without saying a word. She is my BFF for sure.
"But, Jake, she's my girl." Quil almost pouts. No one else says a word, but I can hear the faint rumbling of laughter emanating from the gorgeous guy sitting next to me.
