Chapter Ten
AN: Hey all. Thanks for all the reviews! They're a lot of fun to read. Just so you know, I don't really lean either way in the whole Jacob/Edward debate, so I will not be really easy or really hard on either of them in this story. I really try and stay balanced and write what feels true to the characters. Here the next one! Enjoy!
"Who the hell does he think he is?!"
Kelsey's eyes went wide, and she looked over to Rachael, who was huddled at the head of her bed.
I was pacing, furious, back and forth in Rachael's bedroom. When I'd started yelling, Kelsey had come in, curious. "Who does that? Who makes someone feel guilty for something like that? And, what, he's been harboring these feelings for two years? This resentment? I mean; if he didn't want to hang out with me, he shouldn't have. Please, Jake, don't do me any favors." Rachael gave me a little nod and passed me the box of tissues from her desk. Shaking my head, I pulled one out and dabbed at my face. "I can't believe him."
"I don't understand why he's so angry," Rachael shrugged. "Nothing happened, right?"
"Nothing happened!" I cried. I had said it so much in the past few hours that I was beginning to believe it. "He's just pissed, because when Edward left—two years ago—I was really depressed, and he had to help me, which is ridiculous—he didn't have to do anything. God, he makes me sound like I'm some kind of charity case."
"You think he's jealous?" Kelsey suggested.
"I don't know," I said. "I really don't care at this point."
Jacob had been calling my phone every five minutes for the past hour, since I'd hung up on him. He'd filled my voice mail. I had refused to pick up the phone or listen to any messages. I had absolutely no interest in hearing more from him.
"And," I stopped and pulled out another tissue, "Who exactly does he think he is to be telling me who I can and cannot spend time with. Like, excuse me, I can make those decisions for myself, thanks. I was only telling him in the first place to spare his feelings."
My phone vibrated again. I ignored it.
Rachael sighed. "Are you sure you don't want to talk to him? Maybe you guys just need to work through this. I mean, Bella, you love each other, don't you?"
"At the moment?" I asked bitterly.
"Okay," Kelsey held a hand up, "Let's not say something we don't mean. Just calm down, Bella."
But I couldn't calm down. All I could think about was Edward. All I wanted to do was call the number scrawled on my hand and tell him to get here and take me away. I wanted to run away with him. I wanted to see Alice. I wanted to be a vampire. I wanted to kick Jacob Black's ass.
My phone vibrated again. Rachael picked it up. "Please. Just talk to him. For me?" she smiled. "For believers in true love everywhere?"
I glared at her and reluctantly took the phone. "What?" I barked into the receiver.
"Bella?" Jacob sounded shocked.
"What do you want?"
"S-sorry. You picked up. I'm surprised," he said.
"Yeah, well, you can thank Rachael. She seems to think you can redeem yourself," I grumbled.
He laughed. "She's right. I can. I'm sorry. Really sorry, Bella. I didn't mean any of that—I was just angry. I really don't like the idea of you hanging out with a vampire."
"Tough," I said.
"Okay," he sighed. "I guess I can deal with that. I mean…you have to know that it's not a question of me trusting you. I trust you—completely. I know that you would never do anything with him. It's not that."
My skin tingled with guilt. "Good."
"I just worry about you. Vampires are dangerous," he explained. "Especially vampires who are particularly drawn to your blood. Especially inclined to murder you."
"He's not inclined to m—" I caught Kelsey's confused expression. "He wouldn't do that, Jacob. Not to anyone. He's a good person. You don't have anything to worry about."
"If you say so," he sighed, obviously hating this. "Just promise me you'll be careful. Are you going to see him again?"
"I don't know," I said.
"Okay, well, if you see him again, just—I don't know—be on your guard, all right? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you," he said quietly.
"Yeah," I said. "I'll be careful."
"I love you, Bella."
I closed my eyes. "I love you, too."
Rachael smiled as Kelsey let out a relieved sigh. I rolled my eyes at them and, after giving a little wave, moved into my own bedroom, locking the door behind me.
He chuckled. "Sorry about all the messages."
I smiled. "That's okay. I'm sure they'll be fun to listen to."
"Yeah," he noted, "Good blackmail. It's mostly just a lot of me blubbering apologies. And I'm pretty sure I'm crying on more than one."
I laughed. "Oh, that's great. I'll make sure to save them for a rainy day."
"Yeah, you do that," he said. "God, I hate this separation. Three weeks is too long."
"It's more like two, now. Two measly little weeks. Almost nothing," I said.
I heard him sigh. "Bells, I'm really sorry. I can't even believe I would say that stuff. That's not how I feel. You know that, right?"
I sat down on my bed. "I know."
"Those times with you were some of the best of my life, okay? And I—I feel terrible for making you think that they were some kind of chore. They were anything but, all right?" he asked.
"Yeah," I sighed. "It's okay. Really. I'm okay. I get it."
"Good," he said and stifled a yawn.
"Tired, Jake?" I smiled into the phone.
"Sorry," he said. "Sam's got us on this regiment where we all have to get up at four o'clock in the morning and survey the area."
"Why?"
"I don't know. He says he wants us to know the area well enough that we'd know if there was something wrong—even if it was incredibly subtle," he groaned. "It's stupid but, you know, alpha's orders…"
"Right," I shrugged, "Sorry."
"Ugh," he moaned. "I miss you."
A smile flitted across my face. "I miss you too."
"Everyone keeps shoving their freaking imprintees in my face first thing in the morning," he complained. "It's annoying. It's all anyone can think about."
"Well, at least you have Leah," I half-joked. Leah and Jacob were among nearly the only members of the pack who had yet to imprint. Who were not going to imprint, Jacob insisted.
He laughed, "Yeah, Leah. She's great fun."
"Jake," I heard a deep voice bellow.
"Five more minutes," Jacob called, his voice muffled by, I guessed, his hand over the phone. "Sorry about that," he said to me.
"Is that Billy?" I asked.
"Yeah," he admitted. "He's not thrilled with the number of hours I've been logging on the phone."
"Sorry," I said. "Maybe I should let you go."
"No, no, don't worry about it. Talk to me. What's new in your life other than the reemergence of the undead?"
I laughed. "I don't know. Not much. That French test was a huge slap in the face."
"Eh, who needs French?" he said comfortingly. "Everyone speaks American anyway, right?"
"What?" I smirked. "Was ho!"
He laughed. "Oh, very nice. Ayásicha xaxíkitya?" I had asked him to teach me some things in Quileute a few months ago, but I had mostly been a terrible pupil, giggling through the words.
"Uh," I gulped. "Hìtk-otalítali. I think. Maybe not."
He asked, "Well, you said you're sad; is that what you meant?"
I shook my head. "No! Not at all. I wanted to say, 'good'. Isn't good something like that?"
"Sort of," he chuckled, "Good is hach. So, same letter. That's pretty good."
"Ugh," I groaned. "I suck at languages."
"No," he assured me. "Quileute's hard. And relatively dead, so don't worry about it. It's cute that you're trying."
"Jake," I could hear Billy reprimanding him. "Come on. You can call her back tomorrow."
"I'm teaching her about the ways of our people," Jacob argued. "This is vitally important."
"Say goodnight, Jake," he said.
I laughed, "I guess you have to go."
Jacob disagreed, "I'm not afraid of him."
"Don't give your dad a hard time. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
"I guess. When you do get out of class?"
"Four."
"Then I will hold my breath until four," he said jokingly.
"Try not to pass out," I laughed lightly. "Goodnight, Jake."
"Love you."
"Love you, too. Bye."
"Bye."
AN: So, at the end of the last chapter, I got all these, "Yay! Break up with him!" reviews. Heh...Don't hate me, guys! It wouldn't be fair to make it that simple.
Review!!