CHAPTER 3

Leah POV:

I closed the front door and leaned back onto it. What a weird night! I never imagined that Embry would be the one I could relate to. He was the cocky one with the big mouth. Always bragging about how many girls he's made out with. I never realized how much pain he hid inside. Bastard. That was such an ugly word.

I walked into the living room and heard Mom in the kitchen. She was unloading the dishwasher. Probably trying to keep busy until I got home.

I walked into the kitchen and said, "Hey, Mom."

She turned around with a start! "Oh Leah! I didn't hear you come in. You scared me!"

"Sorry, Mom. Need some help?" I offered.

"No, I'm just finishing up. Are you hungry, honey? I saved some dinner for you. There's a plate of leftovers in the fridge."

I was ALWAYS hungry. Werewolf thing. But the great thing was, I could eat a lot and I never got fat! I was always running it off. "Yes, I am hungry, thanks," I said as I took the plate out of the fridge. I uncovered it and stuck it in the microwave. Pot roast and potatoes. Yum!

I took the plate out of the microwave and sat down at the table to eat. "Mom? Do you know anything about Embry's parents?"

She looked over her shoulder at me and said, "Um, not much. Why?"

I took a bite of food and chewed. "Embry and I patrolled together tonight, and we did some talking after," I said slowly. "I didn't realize how much pain he's in not knowing who his dad is."

Mom walked over and sat down across from me at the table. "I remember his mom came to live here when she was pregnant with him. She was pretty young and she kept to herself. She had Embry and got a job at a factory. That's about all I know. We would see her at school functions sometimes, if she could get off of work, but she doesn't mix with people much."

I kept eating, but I felt like Mom was holding something back. "You never heard any of the rumors about who his dad might be? I mean, now that he's a member of the pack?"

"Well, people talk, Leah. It doesn't mean anything. Your dad was an elder at the time Embry phased, and believe me, it blew everyone away! But, if he knew who Embry's dad was, he never told me. Everyone's been pretty quiet on that."

I finished my dinner and Mom picked up my plate and took it to the sink. "Mom? Do you think it could be Billy Black? Or Quil's dad? They were both married . . . I mean, I'm not dumb. I know that men have affairs, but . . ."

She turned back toward me and said, "I don't know. I don't want to think so. Sarah Black was a good friend of mine, and if it was Billy, I think she would have suspected something. They had a very good marriage, and when she died . . . well, Billy was pretty shook up. As for Quil's parents, well, I don't know."

"What about Sam's dad? No one every talks about him much."

"That's because he wasn't much of a father. He left Sam and his mom when Sam was a little boy. Just up and left one day and never looked back. As far as I know, no one knows where he is or if he's even still alive." Mom wiped her hands on a dish towel and said, "Well, I'm tired, honey. Your brother's already in bed, and I'm going up. See you in the morning." She leaned over and kissed me on the head then went upstairs.

I sat there at the table thinking. There had to be some way to find out for sure who Embry's dad was. A plan was taking shape in my head. I wasn't sure if I could get the guys to go along with it, but I was going to try, for Embry. In all this time, he's the only one that had looked past my shitty attitude and tried to help. I owed him a favor.

Embry POV:

I dragged my ass out of bed and walked out of the closet that was my bedroom and used the bathroom. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and hair and went back into my room to get dressed. I was still beat, but had to get to school. Only two more weeks, then off for the summer. Thank God!

I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, put on my shoes and grabbed my book bag. I went to the kitchen and grabbed two packs of Pop-Tarts and an apple and walked out to my truck. I drove over to Quil's to pick him up for school. I used to pick up Jake, too, but he wasn't going much lately.

I honked the horn and Quil came out. I had finished the Pop-Tarts and was working on the apple when he jumped in the truck. "Hey," he said. He looked beat, too. Running all of the these patrols was exhausting.

"What's up?" I said. I put the truck in drive and headed to school.

"Can you drop me at Claire's after school? I told her mom I'd watch her tonight." Quil said.

"Yea, sure." Another night babysitting. Poor guy. He didn't seem to mind. He loved being with her. It was a little creepy him being imprinted on a toddler, but he was handling it really well. Right now, he was a great big brother to her. I wondered what it would be like when she got older and how weird it would be for them. I would ask him, but he didn't like to talk about it.

We pulled into the parking lot and I stopped the truck. We gathered our stuff and made our way into the building. I went to my locker and from behind I heard, "Hey Embry!"

I turned around to see Mandy standing there. She was short and petite, with shoulder-length black hair. She was wearing a short skirt and a plaid blouse that I noticed had one too many buttons left open at the neck. I liked that.

"Hey, Baby. What's up?" I said smoothly.

"Not much. Wanna walk me to my first class?" she said with a smile.

"Sure," I said as I closed my locker. I reached down and took her hand and we walked down the hall. It was easy for me to be with girls. I'm not sure why. I never had to stammer or stutter like Quil used to. Even Jake. Well, he was never interested in any other girls but Bella, so I guess he didn't count.

I walked her to the classroom then bent down and put a kiss on her lips. I smiled at her and said, "See you at lunch."

She giggled. What was about girls that they always giggled? She turned and went into the classroom. I went on to my first class just as the bell rang.

I sat down and pulled out a notebook trying hard to remember if I had any homework to turn in. I guess it didn't matter because I don't remember doing any homework! I really was going to have to try harder. This is the one thing I promised my mom – that I would finish high school. Maybe I should get a tutor. Yea, some hot smart girl. That could be cool. Like we would really study . . .

"Mr. Call? Do you have the answer?"

Shit! "Um, George Washington?" I answered with a smile. Everyone laughed. OK, wrong answer.

"Mr. Call, please try to pay attention. Turn to page 125 in your book, and maybe you will catch up to what we are talking about," Mr. Grey said. Yea, maybe, but I doubt it.

The rest of my classes were pretty much the same. Lunch was good. Mandy came and sat with Quil and me, and Seth joined us too. He was just a freshman, so we picked on him a bit, but you couldn't help but love the kid. He was just so good-natured.

Before lunch was over, I took Mandy to my favorite make-out spot at school. There was a corner by the gym that was pretty secluded. I had enjoyed many a make-out session there over the years. I kissed her and ran my hands up and down her body and back. She wasn't quite as fast as some of the other girls I had made out with. She would catch my hands every now and then and keep them from going where they shouldn't. I kind of liked that about her. She was a challenge!

I finished the school day, said good-bye to Mandy with a promise to call her later, then took Quil to Claire's. I pulled away and thought, "now what am I going to do?" I had talked to Sam, and he had put Leah and I on the late night patrol, so I didn't really have much to do right now. Jake was always with Bella now, so without him and Quil, I was kind of lost.

I drove through town on my way home, and I saw Leah walking along the sidewalk. I honked and waved at her then pulled over to the sidewalk. She walked up to the truck and leaned in the window. "What's up?" she asked.

"Not much. Just got out of school and dropped Quil off to babysit Claire. What are you doing?"

"I was at the library, doing a little research," she said.

"Research? On what?" I asked.

"Um, do you have some time right now? I could tell you," she said with a small smile.

My curiosity was peaked. "Yea, I'm free. Hop in!" She opened the door and climbed in. "Where to?" I asked.

"I don't care. Just somewhere we can talk. Maybe the beach?" she suggested.

I nodded and turned the truck down the road that would take us to the beach. "So, you're done with school. What do you do all day?" I always wondered about that.

"Well, I help take care of the house. My mom's a nurse you know, so she works twelve-hour shifts. I get groceries, and cook dinner and I keep track of my brother, and I . . . take some online college courses," she finished shyly.

"Really? That's cool. What kind of classes?" I asked.

"Right now, a psychology class and an English Comp. class."

"Wow. Psychology, huh. Isn't that kind of boring?" It sounded boring to me!

She laughed. "Yea, I could see how you might think that. But it is really very interesting."

I pulled into the parking lot at the beach. We jumped out of the truck and walked down to the beach. I noticed that she had this bag hanging over her shoulder, across her body. It was kind of big to be a purse. But what did I know about purses?

We walked down the beach a little and I said, "So? What did you want to tell me about? What kind of research have you been doing?"

She stopped and said, "Let's sit down first." She walked over to a huge dead log that was laying on the beach and sat down. I walked over and sat down beside her. She pulled the bag over her head and put it on her lap then she looked over at me. "Don't get mad, OK?"

I looked at her and laughed. "Why would I be mad? You haven't said anything yet!"

"I know. But, I took the liberty of looking into something for you, and I'm not sure you want me meddling in your business," she answered.

"Leah, what are you talking about?" She was starting to worry me a little.

"I was awake for a long time last night thinking about our talk. I really appreciated you opening up to me like that, Embry. For the first time in a very long time, I fell asleep not feeling sorry for myself! I decided that I owed you a favor. Soooo . . . " she hesitated then pulled some papers out of her bag. "I went to the library to do some research on the internet about DNA testing."

"DNA testing . . . Leah? Are you talking about trying to help me find out who my father is?" I asked.

"Yes, and really it's very simple. All it involves . . ."

I stood up and walked a few steps away. My hands curled into fists. Why did I open my mouth last night? I was trying to help and look what I've started!

She came up behind me, "Embry, I'm sorry. I should have asked first, but I was afraid you would react this way. Look, the test is not that big of a deal. Don't you want to know? Isn't that what you told me last night?"

I turned and looked down at her. "Hell yes I want to know! But how can I ask these guys to take some test to see if I'm their kid? When I phased, they had to know that I belonged to one of them. Hell, they probably already know which one and they won't say. No one wants to claim me, Leah. If they did, they would have come forward by now."

"Oh Embry, I'm not talking about asking them to take the test. I thought we could ask Jake, Sam and Quil. A DNA test would show if you were a brother to them. I know they would do it, Embry. All we have to do is ask."

I turned to look out at the water. She was right. I knew they would do it. They already felt like brothers. We would do anything for each other. I turned and asked, "But who would do the tests? It's probably really expensive."

"I was going to ask my mom about that. She works at the hospital. I figured she could help. All you have to do is put a cotton swab in your mouth and get some spit on it. They analyze it and tell you if it is possible for you to be related," she answered. "Listen, Embry. Just think about it, OK? Take these with you and read them. It's only a few pages. Even if you think your dad doesn't want to claim you, which I think is stupid, you have a right to know."

I smiled at her. "You did this for me? Why, Leah? You don't really owe me any favor for last night."

"Yes, I do. I don't think you realize it, but you are the first one who ever took the time to listen to me, Embry. I know they all think I'm just a bitch. But you looked past that and let me talk. And I really appreciate that. Last night, for the first time, that hole inside seemed just a little smaller. I guess I wanted to do something for you that would help you feel the same way."

I was stunned. No one had ever even thought of doing something like this for me. I mean, I loved Quil and Jake and we hung out. And I would die before I would let anyone hurt them. But, this was different. I didn't know how to handle it. "Leah, I don't know what to say. Can you believe that? Me? Not having any kind of smart ass comment?"

She laughed. She is so pretty when she smiles like that.

I reached out and pulled her in for a hug. "Thanks, Leah," I whispered in her ear. I let her go and said, "OK, enough of this shit. You're going to turn me into a chick," I said gruffly.

"And there he is, Mr. Smart Ass. I missed ya!" she said.

I laughed as I folded the papers she gave me and stuffed them into my pocket. She put the bag back over her head to rest on her shoulder. "Alright, let's walk a little."

We walked down the beach neither of us not really knowing what to talk about. I had never just hung out with Leah before. She usually avoided us like the plague. "So, what do you like to do, you know, for fun?" I asked her.

"I don't know. It's been a long time since I did something just for fun, I guess," she answered.

"Well then, I say it's about time we had some fun. Ever go cliff diving?" I asked.

"No, I leave that to you idiots," she retorted.

"If you've never done it, how do know it isn't any fun? It's a real rush! Come on, don't be a chicken," I said.

"Really? This is what you want to do for fun?" she asked.

"Yep. That's what I want to do. What do you say?"

She looked at me and sighed. "OK. Let's go before I realize how stupid this really is."

I grinned at her and took off down the beach back to the truck. Of course she went whizzing by me and beat me to the truck.

We got in the truck and I took off. I looked over at Leah. We had the windows down as it was unusually warm and sunny for Washington. She closed her eyes and let the wind blow through her hair. She actually looked relaxed for once.

I pulled over and parked the truck. I took off my shirt and shoes and threw them in the truck. Leah looked at me and took off her shoes and threw them in the truck. I raised my eyebrows at her, and she said, "That's all I can take off, you perv!" I just laughed.

We got out and headed down the trail to the cliff. "You sure you won't chicken out?" I asked her.

"Look, I said I would do it, so I will. Even though I think it's stupid," she added.

We got to the cliff edge and Leah looked down. It was a pretty intimidating view. This was a good spot though, where there were no rocks along the shore. She backed up a little and looked at me. "Tell you what," I said, "since this is your first time, we'll go together. And instead of diving, we'll just jump, feet first. OK?"

She nodded. I held out my hand and she looked down at it. Then she looked at me and smiled. She grabbed my hand and held on tight.

"OK, on the count of three, we run and jump. Ready?" She nodded. "One . . . two . . . THREE!" We ran about three steps and then there was nothing under us but air! I looked over at Leah. Her black hair was standing straight up and she was screaming all the way down. She squeezed my hand until our feet hit the water. The water closed over my head and surrounded me. I shot back up to the surface and looked for Leah. A couple of seconds later, her head broke the surface off to my right. She had the biggest grin on her face that I have ever seen!

"OH MY GOD, EMBRY! That was FUCKING AWESOME!" she shouted.

I laughed and met her in the water. "I told you, Miss "it's so stupid!"I said in a mocking high girly voice.

She reached out and grabbed my shoulders as we treaded water. "Thank you, Embry. Thank you for making me do that. It was such a rush! I've never felt so free! So alive!"

I put my hands on her waist. I looked into her eyes and her whole face was lit up with her smile. Before I realized what I was doing, I leaned forward and put my lips on hers. It was a soft, gentle kiss. I pulled back and looked at her.

"What the hell, Embry!" Her eyes flashed and she pushed herself away from me and swam for shore. Shit. Way to go, Embry. What the hell did you do that for?

I swam hard to try and catch up with her. She was on shore wringing out her hair when I ran up to her. "Leah, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did that! Don't be pissed, OK?"

She just looked at me then took off running down the beach. I knew I'd never catch her.

"Leah!" I yelled after her. She kept running. Damnit!